Then together with a few friends, we set out to give these bookmarks to random strangers in a mall. We never expected the reactions we received from public. A lot of people waved their hands in rejection when they saw children approaching them. Some, especially people who were well dressed, more dramatically as if the girls had disease. One even took a bookmark, laughed at the children and returned the bookmark.
This really discouraged some of the children, and even made them very afraid.
They didn't know why people reacted so negatively when all they wanted to do was to give a bookmark.
In the end, the ones who accepted our bookmarks were people who worked as cleaners, waitresses, people behind counters. One waitress accepted the bookmark and said very excitedly...
"For me...you mean for me?????" And she smiled, so big, so wide, and began showing off her bookmark to her workers. Oh, that smile was so precious to us.
A cleaner lady accepted the bookmark, smiled a quiet smile, and said "Thank you so much, this is very special" and kept it in her pocket, taking it out from time to time to look at it.
A lady sitting on the stairs alone, smoking, rejected their bookmarks at first, then suddenly said, "For free? I'll take it." We walked away, and from a distance watched her reading the same bookmark over and over again as she sat there alone, smoking her cigarette. We only hope that bookmark brought her some encouragement.
We realised that day, how cynical and afraid people have become, perhaps because of the high crime rate in our society. Well, we hope little projects like this will make a difference in society. At the same time, my children have learnt to be a little braver, even in accepting rejection.
In the end joy and smiles of the few people who accepted their bookmarks made it all worth it.
If you happened to read this post, why not do a similar project, make a difference! :)
@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2014
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