02/06/2026
"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend"
We always look for simple ways to enhance connection and reduce stress. Things that we do naturally, but perhaps need to be reminded of to do more. We call it The Very First Aid to Stress and Trauma. Like offering a cup of Tea or a glass of Water with a Smile. We call it TAS - Tea and A Smile.
The other day, through the experience of our champion connector Placide Nkubito in Rwanda, we gave name to an other one: Walk Beside Me- WBM. Well known and worth to be reminded.
Placide was visiting Mary, a survivor of the genocide who lives in Kimironko in the outskirts of the capital Kigali. Placide had been there before to teach her Tapping.
Mary invited him into her small house. She offered him a glass of water. They sat down together. Mary started telling him some of what happened to her during those horrific 100 days of the genocide in 1994. Gruesome violations. After a short while she raised up:
"Would you like to go for a walk in the village? It is so much easier to talk when walking beside you."
Side by side they strode down the sandy streets between the houses of mud and bricks. Some children playing football. Women selling roasted corn.
"Walking with you is like walking with a son. So relieving and comfortable." Mary says.
"Me too", says Placide. "It is like having a mother by my side."
What do you do to reduce stress? In yourself and for others.