Learning From a Chance Encounter

A True Story

by Thuita J. Maina

on Dec 12, 2024

Picture related to the title of the story — *Image from Lyons Language Learning.*

In 2017, I shared a blog story that had a photo of the 2006 Starehe Boys' firefighting squad. The story must have been interesting, as it attracted several likes and comments in the school's alumni Facebook group.

One Charles Muriithi for instance, told me he was the squad commander in 2001—the year before I joined the school. He also told me he was now the DCIO of Turkana North, a sub-county in northern Kenya.

Well, I didn't know what the term DCIO stands for, so I turned to Google and eventually landed on Wikipedia, where I learnt it's short for Divisional Criminal Investigation Officer, a position in the Kenya Police Service.

Wikipedia said the police service is sub-divided into departments like anti-banking fraud unit, special crime prevention unit, anti-terrorism unit, ballistics unit, anti-narcotics unit, cyber forensics and kanga squad.

The name "kanga squad" made me giggle as it sounded funny to my ears. But it's nice to see the kind of good work the boys in blue do, so that we can dwell in unity, peace and liberty, as our national anthem puts it.

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Also check out "A Library Conversation".

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Covey's Timeless Wisdom

Excerpts

by Thuita J. Maina

on Dec 7, 2024

"Our common tendency is to project our own situation onto others and try to prescribe what is right for them. But what we see on the surface is usually only the tip of the iceberg. Many people think that other families are just about perfect while theirs is falling apart. Yet every family has its challenges."

"When I talk about a beautiful family culture, I describe a nurturing culture where family members deeply, sincerely, and genuinely enjoy being together, where they have a sense of shared beliefs and values, where they act and interact in ways that really work, based on the principles that govern in all of life."

"Laughter is a great tension releaser. It puts things in proper perspective so that we "don't sweat the small stuff." It enables us to realize that, in a sense, all stuff is small. It keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously and being constantly uptight, demanding and imbalanced."

"Being around merry, cheerful people who are upbeat and full of good stories and good humor is the very thing that makes people want to be with others. It's a key to proactivity because it gives you a positive, uplifting way to respond to the ups and downs of daily life."

"Next to apologizing, the toughest and one of the most important deposits an individual can make—or an entire family can adopt as a fundamental value and commitment—is to be loyal to family members when they are not present. In other words, talk about others as if they were present."

"But when you deeply accept and love people as they are, you actually encourage them to become better. By accepting people, you're not condoning their weakness or agreeing with their opinion; you're simply affirming their intrinsic worth. You're freeing them of the need to defend themselves."

"Many people who have never received unconditional love and have never developed a sense of intrinsic worth struggle all their lives for approval and recognition. To compensate for the empty, hollow feeling, they borrow strength from a position of power, status, money or possessions."

~ from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families.

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Also check out "Wisdom From Robin Norwood".
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