The little boy hiccupped once again, and again, and again. His mother had been trying to help him overcome his hiccups for hours. She had exhausted every remedy, forcing him to drink water, holding his breath, back-patting, and even tickling. Unfortunately, nothing worked.
“I wish I could find a way to make your hiccups vanish,” the mother expressed with a hint of frustration.
The little boy simply smiled. Despite the annoyance caused by his persistent hiccups, he remained a content child, undisturbed by the inconvenience. Without any effort from him, he made a strange and novel sound. He was thrilled by what he heard.
The mother took solace in her son’s cheerful disposition, even though he was physically uncomfortable.
And so, the mother persistently experimented with various remedies to alleviate her son’s hiccups. She exhausted all known methods and even ventured into uncharted territory. Yet, none of her attempts yielded the desired outcome.
In the midst of the hiccup ordeal, the boy’s grandmother joined the effort, gently patting his back in an attempt to bring relief. Regrettably, her efforts also proved futile.
Finally, after a week of relentless trials, the mother and grandmother succumbed to exhaustion. The mother grew increasingly concerned about her son’s well-being.
“I’m at a loss for what else to do,” she confided to her husband. “I’m beginning to fear that these hiccups will never subside.”
The husband offered his support, comforting his wife with a gentle pat on the back. “Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “I’m certain the hiccups will eventually fade away.”
A sense of relief washed over the mother as she acknowledged her husband’s perspective. She realised she needed to relax and cherish her son’s presence, even amidst the hiccup-induced interruptions.
Consequently, the rest of the day unfolded with the son engaging in games with his siblings, laughing, and enjoying life to the fullest. Despite the persistent hiccups, he relished every moment, attentively listening to his grandmother’s captivating stories and assisting her in the kitchen.
The following day, the little boy awoke to find his hiccups miraculously absent. Overjoyed, he darted to his grandmother to share the good news. His grandmother patted him on his back.
Then he ran to his mother.
“Mother, my hiccups are gone!” he exclaimed gleefully.
The mother’s face lit up with a radiant smile. She was profoundly grateful that her son was finally free from the irritating hiccups that had plagued him.
And the little boy beamed with happiness, knowing his family loved him.
Cyril Stanley A story of gratitude — Denzil recalls a friend who looked out for him in his budding years in Sri Lanka Denzil Jayasinghe 11 min read · Aug 27, 2022 1 Give us a bit of background on how you met Cyril. It was the seventies in the sleepy village of Dalugama , my ancestral hometown, some ten kilometres from Colombo. With their flared bell bottoms and Afro-style hair, it was easy to notice Cyril and his younger brother Edward. I’d bump into the duo in the neighbourhood as I walked home after a day at college. A casual hello greeting turned into a conversation and an evolving friendship with the duo at an age when making friends was effortless. However, it was Cyril who reached out to me first. What did the brothers look like? C yril was a younger version of Smokey Robinson and his brother, Edward, a junior Lionel Richie but darker. Both had curly hair, grown long, copying the Afro-American idols of the seventies. Smokey Robinson, Cyril Stan...
A Child of Curiosity How inherent inquisitiveness became a key driver in learning experiences. Denzil Jayasinghe · B orn in the mid-20th century, I am a product of the post-World War II era. My parents, who were teenagers when the war commenced, married in the 1950s. As a representative of the baby boomer generation, I was born under the astrological sign of Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac. My birth took place at Zoysa Nursing Home, a renowned institution in Colombo, Sri Lanka, around 5 in the morning. Sri Lanka, known for its tropical climate, is a beautiful island nation south of India. This climate appealed to me, and I sought similar weather in my twenties, spending them in Dubai, where the winter resembles an Australian summer. Raised by religious parents, I held them in deep affection. However, the church teachings posed a paradox for a young mind, instructing one to love God more than one’s parents. I initially adhered to the Ten Commandments and other societal norms in ...
20 quick-fire questions * If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Your life would not turn the way that you planned. It is OK to be naïve and stupidly young. What do you like doing in your spare time? Writing and reading. Both complement each other. What would you change your name to? My family's name is Jayasinghe. ජයසිංහ in Sinhala in the original script. Phonetically, it is pronounced Jaya-Sinha in Sri Lanka. But in English, through generations, it was spelt Jayasinghe, which sounds differently in English. I would change its spelling to Jaya-Sinha to align it with its original sound. Perhaps my grandkids in Australia could do it. What’s your favourite time of day? The morning hours. I am most productive in the mornings. What is your biggest weakness? I could get carried away with what I could be doing. Sometimes, I must pinch myself to stop what I am doing. What is your favourite colour? Green. Always from my kid days. Would you believe I had...
2 min read·2 days ago
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