What if healing began with a single word you let yourself take?
At my international school, the Take What You Need Center has become a living reflection of connection, compassion, and creativity — where we all, in our own way, take what we need.
Sometimes connection begins in the smallest ways—in a hallway pause, a smile, or a simple act of care. The Take What You Need Center at the international school where I work started as just that: a quiet invitation for students and staff to slow down, reach for encouragement, and remember they’re not alone. Over time, it’s become more than a project—it’s a living reflection of compassion, creativity, and shared humanity.
I’ve come to look forward to selecting, purchasing, and setting up the Take What You Need Center almost as much as the connections I make afterwards. It’s one way I can show how much I care. It’s an outlet for both my compassion and my creativity—a way of turning empathy into something tangible. Every month’s display becomes a reflection of what I hope to nurture in others and what I quietly crave for myself.
There’s a certain magic to the moments after I’ve refilled the table.
Before I can even step away, students gather—some rushing, others pretending to casually stroll by. They admire my nana’s handmade fidgets, debate over candy flavors, and curiously examine the new coping skill cards and affirmations scattered across the table.
It might look like a collection of small things, but to me, it’s a living connection.
These few minutes become a window into what matters most to them. I notice which words disappear first, which phrases are read twice, and whose hands hover longest before choosing. It’s in these details that I see their hearts—and, in a quiet way, my own.
Because the truth is, the messages I prepare for them are often the same ones I need. When I restock slips that say Grace, Rest, or Enough, I’m whispering those reminders to myself too. Their needs reflect mine, reminding me that compassion isn’t a one-way act—it’s a shared exchange.
“Freely you have received; freely give.” — Matthew 10:8
Even the teachers stop by, their faces lighting up when they find something that speaks to them. Their excitement mirrors the same quiet joy I feel in creating it. In those brief moments, the Center becomes more than a counseling initiative—it becomes a shared space of belonging for our school community.
“When you plant a seed of love, it is you who blossoms.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
That’s what this space is for me: a small garden of shared humanity. A place where we give and receive in ways that remind us we are not alone. Where a word on paper or a piece of candy becomes a gesture of care.
Maybe that’s the beauty of the Take What You Need Center—it holds up a mirror to each of us, reflecting what we most need to give and what we quietly hope to receive.
Well-Stirred Reflection:
What word would you take today—if you let yourself admit you needed it?
Well-Stirred & Wondering 
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