A Moment to Celebrate

“Come to the edge.”

“We can’t. We’re afraid.”

“Come to the edge.”

“We can’t. We will fall!”

“Come to the edge.”

And they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918

French Poet, Philosopher

Sometimes it is so difficult just to get their attention. They drift off and get caught in their own world. Maintaining eye contact even for a split second is sometimes rewarding enough to be a reason to celebrate. At least, that’s how I feel being a lead therapist in EAP.

I had just begun to make a Table Time program when ‘my boy’ started throwing a temper. He noticed that I was about to present him a slot which he resented – writing. Some may think, “How hard can it be?” I’ll tell you. First, there was ensuring his correct grip of the pencil. Then to identify the alphabet. Next, we had to work on memorizing that alphabet. Then here comes the tricky part, maintaining the image of that alphabet and tracing it onto four horizontal lines to make sure that it is proportionately aligned. This procedure has to be repeated four more times. And that already took a paragraph to explain.

Needless to say, this burst of wailing was closely followed by a series of fidgety kung fu movements. He was getting very anxious and was not confident in this part of the program. I did my best to ignore his behaviour but occasionally glanced at him to check on his well-being. With quick prompts and showers of praise when he attempted to write, the programme was over in no time. His calmness was restored as fast as it had gone. It was playtime!

As we moved towards the floor in the middle of the room, I suggested a pretend play of volcanoes. My boy readily agreed. His eyes glittered with excitement and a smile was prominent across his face. He hopped onto my back and we walked around the room. Just before I reached a corner, he’d yell and point to the corner, “Oh no! There’s a volcano!” Clearly his imaginary mountain was about to erupt with boiling lava.

“Argh!!!!!” We both screamed with giggles here and there, running to another corner. “There’s another volcano!” screamed my guide. “Argh!!!!!” We ran from the second mountain. As I approach the toilet door, I asked my guide, “Are we safe yet?” Yet another mountain rose in the toilet and we had to be on the run again. Soon the entire room was surrounded by volcanoes. We did a countdown to mark our doom and “Kaboom!” I jumped and we both rolled on the floor.

We lay there side by side watching the rays of morning light spread across the ceiling. Puffing and panting we tried to catch our breath. My mind was already planning for the next “table time program” and the reinforcement toys that he would like to have after that. My perfect plan was stopped short when he rolled closer with his belly on the floor now. I looked over and realised that a pair of big beautiful eyes were looking straight into mine. He tilted his head, never breaking that gaze and his lips gently broke into a sweet smile. It was a mesmerising moment just having him look right at me. Then, he got up and pranced away. I sat up and couldn’t help but smile. Dizzy with happiness, I got up to prepare for the next Table Time.

And yes, I relayed the whole story to my fellow teammates, my dear colleagues, my family and friends. Small as it may seem, it was one of those incidents in my life that I will never forget. My boy caught my heart and he does it once in awhile when I least expect it. Come to think of it, I wonder if it’s them who needs us, or as I’d like to think, we need them more.

As Told By, 

Jasmine Lee

Lead Therapist, EAP Malaysia