1) You become a counselor to your parents
Last Friday, I received a text message from Dad asking me to cheer Mum up. I think Mum's been having her episodes of self-doubt as her retirement is coming up in a few months. She's been questioning her achievements and wondering whether she has enough to last her until her old age. She usually feels worse if she compares herself to her sister or her in-laws who in her eyes, have "had it easy" yet are so materially blessed despite not having to work as hard as she has.
I guess I understand how she feels but these thoughts and feelings really don't do much to help your situation. Not that you can help feeling down and depressed anyway. So what was I to do? Remind them, first of all, that they have come a long way from their childhood in the kampung. And then remind them of the wonderful job they've done in raising me and my brother, and that in itself is achievement enough. And lastly, remind them that God has never let us down before, and He won't. We just don't know what His plans are yet.
2) You make a budget and then spend a sleepless night worrying about it
Not my best move. It invited a whole lot of dreams about going on holiday and then finding that your holiday destination is infested with snakes, all ready to attack you. What the...??
3) You walk into an Adult Shop and don't get asked if you're under-aged
It was a pleasant experience actually. The shop assistants have this "no judgment" attitude and are super friendly and helpful. I admire that because working in retail myself, it's really hard to be positive and friendly and helpful especially when the weirdos start to mess with your day.
Oh and in case you're wondering, yes, I did buy something but I'll leave that to your imagination ;)
4) You start watching your blood pressure and calm yourself down whenever you're in a panicky/angry mood
BP is doing well - 130/75 when I checked it last week. I wonder whether it sky-rocketed when I was locked in the bathroom for almost an hour on Monday.
5) You ask your brother's friend whether he knows what he's in for wanting to get married at 24
When I asked him why he wanted to get married so early, his answer was "because I love her and I want to settle down". Although I think that's very romantic of him, I've seen that life can be tough and the relationship has to be strong enough to weather the tough times. He didn't seem to be that bothered about it and I find myself wondering whether I'm the one who's so afraid of commitment that I only see the negative aspects. After all, having a partner to lean on when times are tough is always a good thing, no?
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