How Do You Show Compassion?

Welcome to #WithLoveFridays! I’m co-hosting this linkup with 4 other awesome ladies: Kristie, Lisa, Krystal & Georgina! If you’ve got a post that has anything to do with love (family, friends, significant others, spouses, pets, fandoms…), feel free to come link up with us on Fridays for this/next week!!

Today, I’d like to talk about kindness and compassion. In an attempt to combat all the negativity and hatred out there, I’m teaming up today with over 1000 bloggers in the blogsphere for #1000Speak, to write a post about compassion, kindness, non-judgement, and helping others. We want to flood the world with some good, inspiration, and happiness. <3

How do you show compassion in your life?

I am happiest when I’m helping others, making others happy, and when I feel like I’m making a positive difference in someone’s life.

It doesn’t matter how small the gesture may be–a greeting, a compliment, a simple smile–your actions and decisions pave the road you walk on, and how you treat others can often determine what kind of road it will be. While I have been extraordinarily blessed with the amazing people in my life, I think a large proponent to that also has to do with this very simple philosophy:

Treat others how you would want to be treated.

I honestly think the world would be a much better place if everyone were to adopt this philosophy, but until then, I’ll just keep working at it. One of my favorite quotes as of late has been: “Always be kinder than you feel,” so I try to take it to heart, and even when I’m having a horrible day, if I can brighten someone else’s, it usually cheers me up. :]

I have a number of different causes and organizations that I try to support whenever + however possible, so that’s what I’ll be discussing today!

Paul Hom Asian Clinic (PHAC)

Back in the spring of 2008, I started volunteering here as a medical interpreter & patient advocate. Paul Hom Asian Clinic is the oldest existing Asian clinic in the United States, and is completely staffed by volunteers, from the undergraduate interns to the medical students and attending physicians. It provides free medical services for medically underserved Asian-Americans, and works with pharmaceutical companies so that our patients can obtain medications for free (or at a heavily discounted price).

To say that I loved the time I spent volunteering there would be an understatement. Even after I graduated, I’d sneak back whenever I had a free weekend to volunteer there. (The sneaking was because my parents didn’t want me driving ~200 miles just to volunteer. I slept in my car a couple times because the friends who usually housed me were all out of town.)

While I was there, I’d interpret for the patients during medical interviews, take vitals, do blood pressure screenings through the Sacramento community, and assist with county referrals, labs, and calls. Each year, we put on a health fair to educate the patients on different health topics, provide vaccines, bone density scans, and health screenings.

PHAC is one of the biggest reasons as to why I chose to go into medicine, and my hope is that I’ll someday be able to go back there to volunteer as a physician.

Please Save A Cat / Friends For Life

I’ve talked at length about how much I adore Please Save A Cat, from my blog to imgur. Please Save A Cat is a no-kill cat sanctuary that provides food, water, shelter, and lots of love to 4 colonies of over 80 cats. It’s run by one of my closest friends out here, and she also takes care of pets of deployed military personnel for free. I started volunteering here back in April of 2013, and throughout the time that I’ve been here, Linda has basically become my second mom. She is one of the kindest people I will ever know, and I go back to visit whenever I have a chance (which works out to about once a month, when I’m in between rotations, because it takes about 6 hours roundtrip).

If you don’t already support a charity on AmazonSmile, please consider choosing Please Save A Cat (Maxwelton, WV) as the charity to benefit when shopping on Amazon! <3

Friends For Life is a no-kill dog sanctuary. Donna is actually the one responsible for introducing me to Linda–they help each other out a lot, and I’m really glad that I met them both. I try to go to FFL whenever the weather isn’t being too terrible, so I can take the dogs out for walks/runs and give them lots of love and attention. <3

Once upon a time (high school-ish), I wanted to be a vet, but realized that I really didn’t want to have to euthanize animals, so I decided that if I took care of people instead (especially after my experiences volunteering at PHAC), it’d work out a lot better. My compromise for giving up becoming a vet was to open up a no-kill shelter someday, or to help fund one. This is what I do in-between since I currently have no money to donate or fund them. :] (I can’t volunteer at a regular animal shelter because I’d likely bring them all home with me.)

Cards For Hospitalized Kids

This is my newest ongoing project! It started back in first year of med school; my friend found Cards For Hospitalized Kids, an organization that sends cards (general and holiday-themed) to kids in children’s hospitals throughout the country, so we set to work on em’. The only real rule is to not write things like, “get well soon,” because a number of the kids have terminal illnesses. :[ So I’ve been focusing on positivity + encouragement with these cards. They’re really fun to make, and if it can potentially make someone happier, why not? :]

Making cards is actually pretty therapeutic, so I made about 16-17 after my last shelf exam (12 of em’ are pictured below!), and once I get a hold of my sticker collection (which is, sadly, back in CA), I’m going to town on these. We’re planning to do this each month (aka after every shelf exam) so we can send them over in batches! :]

• How do you show compassion?
• What causes do you believe in?
• How do you spread kindness?

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Want to learn more about the With Love Fridays co-hosts? Follow us on social media!

• Kristie: blog | facebook | instagram | twitter | pinterest | bloglovin’
• Farrah: blog | facebook | instagram | twitter | pinterest | bloglovin’
• Lisa: blog | facebook | instagram | twitter | pinterest
• Krystal: blog | facebook | instagram | twitter | pinterest | bloglovin’
• Georgina: blog | facebook | twitter | pinterest