Leaning on the Kindness of Others

As the mornings grow colder, I find myself turning my attention to organizing next year's medical research meeting. Having tried to handle almost everything myself, with the help of AI, I finally realized that some things simply cannot be done alone. Asking others for help does not come naturally to me. Yet perhaps it is precisely because I struggle on my own first that I come to appreciate the kindness of those who lend me a hand.

Over the past few days, I've really begun to feel the cold in the morning air.

It rained almost continuously throughout September this year, making me feel as though an entire month had somehow disappeared. But then again, autumn is traditionally the rainy season in Japan, so I suppose I just have to accept it.

Today falls between two national holidays, and the train is less crowded than usual.

I can't help thinking how pleasant it would be to take a day off at a time like this and enjoy a long weekend. Unfortunately, that's not an option for me.

Now that my lecture at the end of last month is over, I have no major events scheduled for the rest of the year.

At last, I can turn my attention to preparing for next year's research meeting.

To begin with, organizing an academic conference or research meeting is not really a job for amateurs. It requires considerable administrative expertise. Yet because these meetings also require specialized medical knowledge, we inevitably find ourselves involved in their organization.

And when someone from a relatively small department like mine takes responsibility for hosting such an event, much of the work ends up falling on that person's shoulders.

I've been working on the preparations with the help of AI. But when we reached the stage of planning the actual operation of the meeting, even AI warned me that I was trying to do too much on my own.

It was simply unrealistic to expect myself to handle everything.

So I finally decided to ask the people around me for help.

Of course, one might reasonably ask why I didn't do that from the beginning.

But that's just the way I am.

Unless I've tried everything I can and reached the point where I have to admit that I simply cannot manage on my own, I find it difficult to swallow my pride and ask others for assistance.

Perhaps it's only after going through that process that I can truly appreciate the kindness of those who offer to help.

Looking back, the same was true when I organized an academic conference several years ago.

Nothing worthwhile can be accomplished entirely on one's own. It takes the support and cooperation of many people to make things happen.

It's such an obvious truth, yet I've found myself appreciating it all over again.

And I have a feeling that whether this upcoming meeting succeeds or fails may depend, to a considerable extent, on whether I truly take that lesson to heart.

Come to think of it, I now slightly regret having taken on two presentations myself, including the president's lecture, simply to help fill the program.

I suppose that's another example of my bad habit of believing I can do everything myself.

Leaning on the kindness of others.

Perhaps that's the only way to keep things going.

Leaning on the kindness of others. Perhaps that's the only way to keep things going.

・・・

Lean on the kindness of others	他人の親切や情けに頼る
Fall between two national holidays	祝日に挟まれる、飛び石連休の中日に当たる
Fall on someone's shoulders	責任や仕事が一人にのしかかる
Swallow one's pride	プライドを抑えて頭を下げる
Lend someone a hand	誰かに手を貸す
Take something to heart	教訓などを真剣に受け止める
Come to think of it	考えてみれば、そういえば
Keep things going	物事を何とか続けていく

#Kindness #Gratitude #AskingForHelp #LifeLessons #AcademicConference #MedicalResearch #WorkingWithAI #JapanesePathologist #EverydayReflections #PersonalGrowth