Grace Tan Caktiong’s peace of mind and heart

Like all of us in this time of pandemic, Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) chair Grace Tan Caktiong has to adjust to the “new normal.”

Aside from attending to complex business decisions, Grace has also not physically visited family members for a year. Her centenarian mother naturally belongs to the high-risk category. The antics of her grandchildren abroad, which she sees only in videos, make Grace laugh, yet she rues the fact that they are growing up so fast, so soon.

I tell Grace I, too, yearn to hug my child who is currently in a foreign land. But we agree that however difficult, it is necessary to control virus transmission, and even with vaccines, we need to continue safety practices mandated by health experts, like physical distancing, mask wearing, limits on gatherings.

Grace chooses not to dwell on the negative. I also focus on the positive, featuring business families who used the lockdown to strengthen family bonds, hone new skills, serve the needy (“Do not kill time,” April 16, 2020; “Reconnect and rediscover,” April 23, 2020).

Even before the pandemic, JGF’s “Busog, Lusog, Talino” program, in partnership with the Department of Education and groups, such as the Ateneo Center for Educational Development, already harnesses parent and teacher volunteers to help feed public school children (“The women behind Jollibee and Panda Express,” March 18, 2016).

Since 2013, JGF’s FoodAID project has helped communities affected by natural disasters, and starting March 2020, it began to focus on COVID-19 response.

As of December, JGF has “mobilized over P300 million worth of food assistance equivalent to 4.7 million meals,” 3.1 million for the most vulnerable families and the rest for front-liners. (For another feeding effort by families and groups, see “Feed the Frontliners,” Aug. 20, 2020).

JGF takes care of the needy, but charity begins at home. It looks after its people; work from home is encouraged, with strict protocol for employees who truly need to go to the branches.

Amid uncertainty, Grace displays equanimity. What is her secret?

“Meditation,” she says. “Before the pandemic, I could only meditate for 10 or 15 minutes a day, before work set in. Even so, I found meditation so helpful that I did a couple of sessions for my staff, two of whom continue the practice today.

“But now at home during the pandemic, I can meditate for an hour every day. Once a week, my friends and I meditate online, under the guidance of a teacher.”

Meditation improves physical, mental and emotional health. It lowers blood pressure and anxiety, eases sleep problems and tension headaches, alleviates depression and chronic pain.

Grace walks the talk. She perused books, and joined workshops run by bonafide gurus, such as Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, a mindfulness pioneer.

Once, when one participant asked for the master’s help in resolving an issue, Nhat Hanh calmly advised the group to first have tea. He then proceeded to pour tea for the guests, an act of humility that Grace found moving.

I tell Grace about many senior citizens, including founders of family businesses, who exhibit severe anxiety during this pandemic. Many fear death, especially if they have no viable succession or business plans. Preparing for the future is essential (“Start the year right,” Jan. 2, 2020).

“Meditation minimizes fear,” says Grace. “[Mortality] is viewed as natural, the next phase we eventually face.”

Though I teach mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation to students to help them relieve stress, I confess to Grace that my own meditation practice leaves much room for improvement. I am fascinated with her position that meditation should enable practitioners to be at one with the world.

“In the end, we realize that we are all connected,” Grace says. “Meditation keeps us grounded, and it makes us become more true to ourselves and others.”

Queena N. Lee-Chua is with the board of directors of Ateneo’s Family Business Center. Get her print book “All in the Family Business” on Lazada, or the e-book version on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks. Contact the author at [email protected].