95% Pure Oxygen and $6.40 !!!!

How many of us breathe Oxygen ?
All, unless you are one of Hollywood movie type Tree Man !!!!

How many of us breathe 95% pure oxygen with eucalyptus flavor ?
Only one whom I know -- Your very own Vinit Garg !!!

This piece comes right after visiting a fabulous place in SouthDale Mall, Edina. Just freaking out to do something new, in an experimental mode as usual, I happen to visit Ocean Wave Massage and O2 boutique. Warm and cheerful greetings by the young lady at the counter and I was all her's ....errrrrr I mean a customer for the boutique !!! Checking various options for massage and O2 available, I realized the cost was little high to experiment a massage right away. Earned value analysis ( attending some Project Manager training these days :P ) of the situation prompted me to go for an foot massage. However, the time constraint of 10 min left for boutique to close and busy massager lady left me with just O2 as an option. For the lesser mortals, O2 meant I would lie on a super hunky dunky chair for a virtual massage and would be inhaling 95% eucalyptus flavored ( Y eucalyptus ??? Coz the young Lady liked it ;) ) oxygen for 10 min ,costing 6$ ..ummm with tax 6.40$ !!! Not a big amount for the experience. The experience was fantabulous. Those 10 minutes passed much faster than few seconds used to, when I used to board a DTC bus from PNB, Bikaji ( New Delhi) to Noida in 2004 :)) !!

The whole experience took my thoughts about 15 years back. I used to accompany my father, along with our little doggy, as a kid for morning walk among the woods, yes among eucalyptus trees !!!! Though my participation was not voluntary during those days, yet I remember the distinctive fresh smell of wind blowing through wet eucalyptus wood. Sometime little Jacky, our doggy, would just start running and jumping ,and my father would co-relate the dogs actions to its enjoyment of the morning walk, a correlation I often used to refute. My father would preach that a morning walk gives fresh air to breathe and I would rather dream about being back into bed or about playing cricket. The sheer bliss and freshness I felt today make me realize what I missed then and what I miss now. During those days, I lacked to prospective and now my father’s command to get my up in the morning !!!!! Ahem Peace !!! Hmmmmm, I think spending $6.40 for 10 minutes for enjoying fresh eucalyptus flavored 95% pure Oxygen provides a solution for the both worlds, mine and my father's for me, to co-exist :P !!!!

Humanity binds human.....

.....American Red Cross.....

This post conforms to my induction program with American Red Cross today. I must say the people associated with organization are real gem, very good communicators and exceptionally humble. I wanted to explore more on them such as their remuneration for the job, their motivation to pick up the non-profit center as full time employees etc, but I thought to keep these questions for the later and to observe them induct fresh people, the volunteers, into their program.

The day started when I got up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning to make it to 10:00 induction training of American Red Cross. [Hey, I saw some eye brows raised… it's not always that getting early on Saturday means Cricket]. The place for the presentation was a huge room in a factory close to Downtown Minneapolis. The factory owner had VOLUNTEERED for the cause. He also candidly arranged for Snacks, for locals, Breakfast for me. Hmmm, the people helping for the food were VOLUNTEERS from the factory who choose not to spend their Saturday in a cozy place.Amazing..how humanity binds humans !!

The lead person from American Red Cross, in his beautiful Red Cross Dress, was quite jovial and lively. He shared his story of how he got associated with Red Cross, some interesting experiences such as during the floods in Minneapolis how dilapidated the conditions were and how they distributed food and water etc etc…. Then a lady took over. She showed us, around 100 VOLUNTEERS, a video clipping from the Red Cross. I realized this must be a standard one used across US.

I got to know that American Red Cross is a part of the world wide organization, Red Cross. Historically, Red Cross was started in 1859 by a Swiss Businessman, Henry Dunant, after he observed thousands of solider wounded and killed in a battle with Italy. Any taker of the question: What fetches the Red Cross Organization, its name and its symbol? Please add to the comments. J !! Later, an influential nurse, Clara Barton was impressed with Red Cross and she established American Red Cross in 1881. It was then that an organization so mammoth, so influential was born in America. I wonder how simple ideas by common people pursed with relentless passion can actually change the world.

The video clippings of the malnutrition children, underprovided families living in deep poverty made the environment somber and the people empathic. I could feel, deep inside, a desire to go out and lift at least one person from such deserted places to the comforts of life. I could also observe other VOLUNTEERS feeling the same. I realized so many people have turned up here today, in a small setting of this huge organization to make a difference to humanity. I also felt that though many more people may not have turned up here, given a chance to nourish humanity they too will contribute. click click Humanity binds humans click click..... What American Red Cross has done is that it has provided a platform to such people. I realized how fortunate the person behind this initiative are.. For every Volunteer's contribution, they too are contributors to society, Mr. Henry is still alive, and he is still changing the lives of people. I vouched, I will continue on his path.

A bit emotional…. I know. But it was so.. I wish I could add that clipping to my blog.

Once done with the clippings, we were informed about various opportunities available for the VOLUNTEERS and asked to complete some paper work that I happily completed. Some interesting prospects such as on the presentation delivery on health benefits in schools, Blood Donation camp activist were there but I could not enroll because they required weekday's commitment. I have, however, enrolled into the team of the fund raising for the local chapters..as I hope to explore more on this excellent opportunity !!! Looking forward to my experience with Mr. Henry !!