Last week was a whirlwind of activity and a roller coaster of emotions. Balancing work, tearful moments, ploughing through paperwork, and remembering Dad filled every waking hour. The 30-day milestone of his departure, a Sunday mass in his name at the local church, and the 40-day prayer ceremony at his grave site took place. During all of this, it seems difficult to pause and glean a single learning from the week gone by.
One thing is certain: a new lexicon is now part of my vocabulary. The village office and the village officer suddenly seem to be the most important place and person in my life. For it is here that I must go to get the family member certificate. And the legal heir certificate. The quest for these two certificates has required many hours of time and effort from numerous people. The biggest stumbling block proved to be my dad’s missing ration card. The biggest help? My dad’s well-wishers and people who knew people in the area held our hands and guided us.
After much searching and lots of ideas on how to get a copy, the little white book just appeared miraculously. Found by my brother-in-law in my dad’s old roll top desk in a different house from where we were searching. The synchronicity of its appearance on the evening we needed, it tells me the universe works in magical ways. I would like to believe that Dad is still watching over us and brought the ration card to us, as irrational as that may sound.
I also discovered that closing a bank account can be surprisingly easy and incredibly hard. The joy of living in a small town is that Dad was friends with many of the bank managers. Three of them came home, sat with my mum and me, and helped us navigate the process of closing and transferring funds. But one where we did not enjoy this connection proved arduous.
An advocate, stamp paper, and proof of our relationship notarised. Forms filled. Documents attached, we still wait in the hope that our request is honoured. If there is one thing it underlines for me is the power of relationships. The relief and peace of mind those three well-meaning bank managers gave us was invaluable.
Then came the question that absolutely confused me. Should the homestay continue as a sole proprietorship, or would it be better to make it a partnership? Maybe an LLP would’ve better. Is a trust something to consider? Here are my biggest lessons from the week gone by.
AI was invaluable to help me understand the broad lay of the land, the pros and cons, and the questions I needed to ask. Experts in the form of chartered accountants and auditors gave me definitive opinions. But the most useful insights came from what I can best describe as “well-informed well-wishers”. People who had navigated similar territory before and also know my family and our context. From them I got the benefit of lived experience, practical insights and all of it was wrapped in trust.
Big city or small town, the power of people to make my day, week, and month better is about the quality of relationships that have been cultivated. As PR navigates an AI-enabled (or disabled) world, the quality of relationships cultivated over the years will continue to play a pivotal role.
In the world of coaching, too, I found myself turning to my village of supporters to help me navigate inward and forward. The people who I know, and trust are the ones who I turned to. It helped that they are knowledgeable and well qualified, but what really mattered is that they cared. I come back to my favourite quote, “clients don’t care how much you know, till they know how much you care.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
