All the help...

Presently, my classmates and I are wading through some voluminous assignments in a determined bid to reach the unfriendly deadline and stare it in the face. As a result, despite a commendable morale, tempers flare, frustration tolerance dips and the occasional chorus of lamentation fills the air! :)

Just yesterday, my father called me from another city asking me how things were with me. Quite uncharacteristically, I did not respond with the cheerful "all well!" but immediately proceeded to unload my wealth of grievances onto his ears. Out came the stories about how there isn't all that much time left, how I have so much to do, how many hours I must work everyday and how I will not be able to do some of the routine tasks that I perform at home. I was expecting some stereotypical remark like "It's OK", "Don't worry." or "It will pass", but no, my father's response was anything but what I had imagined. He just interrupted me half way and in the sincerest possible tone asked me "What help do you need?"...just about every annoyance I was feeling vapourised in that second. There was nothing that I needed from him in terms of help (I could hardly tell him to write my copious notes for me!), but that one empathic and genuine question gave me all the help I needed and more.

I love my old man!