There are big changes coming around here. And while we are preparing, we are in a little bit of chaos. But that’s OK. Deepak Chopra said so. And it’ll all be worth it. Stay tuned!
CONNECTION + COMMUNICATION Page 15 of 21
Just gotta laugh – what I learnt from bad customer service
Warning: short uncharacteristic rant coming up (there is a point I promise).
5 months ago we bought a brand new oven. It was really expensive, and our tenants broke it. When we got back from Japan we called the company and they sent round an engineer to check it out. Apparently it needed two new parts. That was nearly three months ago. We have been waiting for the replacement parts ever since. I have called the company at least 15 times but every time I get fobbed off with ‘the part is still on order’ etc etc. This went on all through Christmas (yes it meant that we didn’t get to have Christmas dinner at home).
Last week I called and they said the parts had at last been dispatched to the engineer who would call me within 48 hours. That was five days ago. When I called today they said the parts had at last been dispatched to the engineer who would call me within 48 hours. So the woman I spoke to last week told me a blatant lie. No wonder the engineer never called.
Our oven is still broken, but that’s not the point.
The point is that by call number 15 (a total of about 4 hours on the phone listening to a holding message telling me how they pride themselves on product quality and customer service) I was understandably quite frustrated. I had been really polite every time, but by now I just wanted to scream in frustration (and have someone turn up on my doorstep with a shiny new oven).
And then, something brilliant happened. My man came in to my office, took me by the hand and led me to the middle of the room. He made me jump up and down, shake my arms around, and shout really loud. And he did it too. We looked like a pair of crazy people. And you can imagine that by the end of that we collapsed in laughter. And I felt a whole lot better about it. It’s bad enough having a broken oven. I don’t need a stress headache too.
As they say, you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control the way you let it affect you.
Lesson learnt.
The Impossible
This is not normally a place for me to share about films I have watched, but I feel compelled to write about The Impossible. It is the heart wrenching TRUE story of a family caught in the devastating Asian Tsunami of 2004. It is hard (and exhausting) to watch, but ultimately is a tale of human spirit and the strength that can be found in love.
When the Asian Tsunami hit back on Boxing Day in 2004 I had just started working for UNICEF. Within 48 hours of it happening, I found myself at the Manchester United training ground, recording an appeal video with their top players, who were visually shaken by what they had seen on the TV and wanted to help. In the end we raised around $200,000 through the team (and many millions more through other supporters), and some time later I went on a field visit with Manchester United legend Brian McClair and youth player Floribert Ngalula, to report back to the fans on how their support had helped.
What we found was a country that had largely built itself back up again physically, but was deeply scarred emotionally. I will never forget meeting Muk, a nine-year old girl who lost 18 members of her family in the tsunami. Her father was a fisherman and continued to live by the beach, but Muk had to go and live with her uncle and aunt inland because she was scared of the sound of the sea. That is like a city dweller being scared of the sound of cars.
I found it quite disturbing to watch The Impossible and imagine what that little girl must have gone through. And in the face of all that – the pain, the loss, the not knowing – the Thai people and many visiting and resident foreigners cared for everyone and anyone who needed it – in shelters, hospitals and in their homes. The story is a miracle; the film, a triumph; the people brave heroes.
And even though the Asian tsunami of 2004 was nearly a decade ago, history has repeated itself since with the 2011 tsunami in Japan, with earthquakes like in New Zealand and Pakistan, with droughts and all kinds of other natural disasters. And that’s without even considering the man made disasters. Time and again we see pain, and however removed we are we can’t help sharing that pain. Films like The Impossible help us understand what it must be like, and help us empathise with those who have been through it. Go watch it.
PS For anyone who has felt the recent Sandy Hook tragedy deeply, Magpie Girl is offering a free 28-day ‘Soulcare’ programme, ‘Remember-Act-Heal’. You can find out more about it here.
What makes a good marriage?
Today is my parents’ 41st wedding anniversary. 41 years. That is a long long time. Longer than I have been alive.
As I prepare for my own wedding next year, it is fun to get excited about all the plans and ideas for the big day itself, but what comes after that is even more exciting. The fact that I am going to be married to my favourite person, hopefully for the rest of my life.
Thinking of my own parents’ very long marriage, it has made me wonder what it takes to make it work for so long. So I thought I’d ask you. What do you think makes a good marriage? What do you wish someone had told you just before you walked down the aisle?
Are the things that make a good marriage the same things that make a good life?
Please share your advice and thoughts in the comments below for this bride-to-be…
Selvedge
For those of you who have not discovered Selvedge magazine, I encourage you to seek it out. Dedicated to ‘textiles in fashion, fine art, interiors, travel and shopping’, the Nov/Dec issue is, as always, a visual feast. It feels like midwinter, with the snowy white cover and wintry woodland photoshoot (complete with eagles and horses) showing off exquisite textiles at their best.
A week of giveaways! Celebrating DWYL’s 2nd birthday
Two years ago, after a big a-ha moment in the mountains of California, I registered Do What You Love as a company (in the middle of the global recession) and began the most fantastic adventure. Armed only with my laptop, blog and a clear idea of who I wanted to serve, I set out on a most wonderful adventure. Along the way I have met some incredible people, learned so much, built a flourishing business fast, and been proud of helping thousands of people in more than 100 countries worldwide to do what they love. And this is just the beginning…
Image: NavyBlur
As a celebration of our second birthday, and a huge thank you to all of you for your support along the way, we are doing a special giveaway every day this week! You can enter as many of them as you like, anytime from when they are published until midnight GMT on Sunday 2 December.
This is what we have up for grabs:
Re-entering
We are back in our house at last. After six months away, nearly a month on other people’s sofas, and a lot of packing and unpacking, we are in.
While we were away we had horrible tenants in our beautiful home who treated it like a student house, so we are repairing, redecorating, reorganising.
We need your help! How can we serve you better?
As we approach our second birthday here at Do What You Love HQ, we need your help!
We are undergoing a BIG overhaul of our website and online presence, and we want to hear from you. What do YOU want from us? How can we serve you better?
Image: Kohari
The kindness of strangers
Mrs Tanaka with a bowl of azuki kake-gori (shaved ice with azuki beans)
It never ceases to amaze me what an important role strangers can play in our lives. Many years ago, when I first went to Kyoto at the tender age of 19 to study, this particular lady made a huge difference to my time there.
The floating village
I love boats. I love water. And I love the countryside. So when I heard about Ine ‘the Floating Village’ I knew I had to visit.