Happiness Journal 17/7/25

It isn’t every day that pure, unadulterated joy consumes my whole being, much like a cup of warm Arashiyama sake warming up my senses. Yesterday, I spent 45 minutes trying to help the mother of a child give consent to him receiving vaccinations. You might think that granting permission is easy, given the prevalence of digital technologies these days, but I can see why it would be daunting for a foreigner who hasn’t been schooled in much English. That’s why I kept my cool and maintained my patience, calling multiple times and taking various screenshots.

Today, I checked with the nurse. Success! The mother had finally managed to give consent. I immediately marched to the classroom to get her son. He obviously expressed reluctance in getting the vaccinations, but well, the broad grin on his face betrayed his cool demeanour. I guess he doesn’t want to feel left out, even if he doesn’t care about getting vaccinated.

As a productivity-consumed individual, I have to confess that I felt euphoric because my 45 mins of hard work didn’t go to waste. But I’m also happy for the boy and his mother. That’s one administrative nightmare that I helped them to avert.