An elderly doctor, who had lowered his head to play with his mobile phone for a long period, finally developed neck and shoulder pain a week ago. To stretch his muscles, he often raised his head deliberately when walking in the hospital. Walking from one ward to another, he will pass through a huge open space. In the morning, when he was walking to the outpatient department, he made a surprising discovery: there were many tall trees in the hospital with dense green leaves. He seemed to have discovered a new world. He was excited and proud. Couldn’t wait to announce his “discovery” to the people around him.
So he walked up to a young doctor who was passing by and spoke in an elder tone: “I found out that there are many beautiful trees in the hospital today. Hey, the most important thing in life is to appreciate…” Unexpectedly, the young doctor calmly answered: “Actually last spring, when I first started working here, I already noticed how beautiful these trees were.” After hearing this, the elder wanted to dig a hole and hide in it immediately. He had not looked up at this place for more than ten years, nor had he noticed these trees he took for granted turn out to be very beautiful. On the contrary, a person who has just arrived at this place could detect and feel it.
Although the elderly doctor was “confused” and felt unhappy, he still had to continue his outpatient work. The first patient was accompanied by her son to the consultation. She had symptoms of anxiety and depression. The source of her stress was worry about her son. Her son was a college student, with a sunny appearance and a strong body. She listed her son’s shortcomings endlessly. After 15 minutes, the doctor asked her: “Can you name three strengths of your son?” She told her, but after each one, she said: “These things shouldn’t be counted. They are not a big deal. Everyone is a college student nowadays. They know how to play the piano as well as breathing. What’s so surprising…”
Parenting is like planting a tree. Parents have worked hard for many years to cultivate their children. When they are all “taller” than you, you can look up at him or them every day and appreciate the beauty in front of you. This is not some profound and difficult life wisdom. On the contrary, it would be extremely foolish to turn a blind eye, only taking it as a matter of course, or even completely denying the goodness of one’s children.
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
