It was a brief encounter. I was standing in the waiting area of a shopping mall the other day and got so surprised that I suddenly got a hug from the back. I immediately turned around to see what happened, and realized it was girl that I know. About 9 months ago, she was an intern in one of the hotels that I worked. Although she was not in my department, I was moved a little when she came to my office on her last working day to tell me how much she admired me as a leader, and I witnessed she was busting in tears. I guess I must have done something good then.
Three months ago, I was invited to this grand opening event. One of my wedding business partners opened her branch office in Ho Chi Minh City. Due to having a tight work schedule and being an ultra-introvert whenever I have a moment alone, I hardly ever find a motivation to get out of the house, unless it is for a very specific reason that I cannot refuse.
I went to the event with a low level of energy and excitement; however, I know that would mean something to the person who invited me if I could come. I was happy to see how much her business has grown and I admired this lady a lot. Somehow this tiny and super gentle woman has got so much of her energy, motivation and a genuine interest in what she does that led her and the company to further success in their journey.
It was a hot summer day. I came with a small gift basket; I greeted the host and joined them in the photo shooting session. I was able to meet some familiar faces in the wedding industry too, enough for me to have some good conversations together. As photos were captured, and memories were created, I called it a day and gradually bid farewell and headed out to the gate.
God knew what was going on in my head, I was neither happy nor sad, but I wasn’t so content with myself either. The truth is that I was so busy dealing with what was happening around me, but I wasn’t so certain of what might be coming up my way at that very moment so I guess I will just head home and rest. Then all of a sudden, I bumped into this girl who stood right in front of me, she was smiling but a bit emotional, near tears.
“Hi how are you?”, I smiled and asked.
“Hello, are you Ms. Camellia?”, she asked me back.
“Yes, I am. Have we met before?”, I asked with a bit of a surprise because I did not recall meeting the person ever.
“I attended your webinar about weddings and the event industry last year so when I saw you, I was so happy. I just wanted to say thank you because after attending the webinar, I decided that I wanted to follow a career as a wedding planner. I wasn’t clear about my path until I joined your webinar and I wanted to say thank you for inspiring me”. She answered me with lots of excitement.
I was glad to hear that. I then thanked her for her kind words and wished her every success in the career that she chose to pursue. As a gesture of goodwill, I told her to contact me if I can be of any further assistance. The girl still seemed a little shy, but she suddenly asked: “Do you think it would be okay for me to hug you?”
Me: “Of course”. I opened my arms to give her a hug. I hope it would make her feel better, for someone who is still so fresh and innocent like this young lady, I sincerely wish she could go far and enjoy the best time of her life in this career.
“I must have done something good, so I keep receiving hugs from the people that I have so little interaction with like this”, I thought again to myself and continue living the life that I’d been creating. At times, I find that life is full of randomness and not everything happens accordingly to plan. Although I can’t always tell people about all the things I do or give a perfect explanation that explains certain patterns of my behaviors, I firmly believe that I have a good intent to live this life, to bring value to things that I touch and people that I cherish.
So, if you are finding yourself sharing the same path as I am on right now, I hope we could keep standing for what we believe is the right thing to do, even if it means standing alone. After all those years of working like a badass, I caught this saying and saved it to remind myself from time to time:
“It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.”
Under Armour “Rule Yourself” – Michael Phelps”
Cover Image: Mindful Mazing
Camellia Dinh 
Leave a comment