SUMMER LOTUS

13th Jan 2023 2min read

We are still on the cusp of a brand New Year. During this time, we often talk about resolutions that are broken.

Even broken as they will be, we must continue to pursue to make life worth living.

I will focus on one habit that is useful.

Start early every day.

I can share the immense benefits. Much as I would like to slither like a snake between the bedsheets and wallow deeper into the mattress due to the soft morning lights, I know that good things lie ahead if I only would just get up.

Used to be, my time is so tight that I would skip my breakfast and leave the house in a hurry, and arrive at the clinic panting.

Thanks to my dog’s training, things are different. She awaits me every morning patiently as I instinctively wake up, like a caring. grandmother, eager to attend to her grandchild’s needs.

After I scoop up the warm furry bundle of my Spitz dog and buckle my waist pouch containing her comb and her poo bags, we would set off at dawn for a walk around the estate to answer her calls of nature.

The morning Sun is always gentle and soothing. It rejuvenated my mind, being, and spirit, and the cool breeze makes my eyes smart.

My joints are oiled and my steps become brisk.

As the soft Sun exposure synthesizes the Vitamin D and makes my bone stronger, I am greeted by many smiley faces as other dog lovers are also energized by the morning air.

Something about the mornings that only walking a dog would make one discover.

The neighborhood is quiet, neighbors are renewing their houses, paths are being retiled, gardens are so manicured and blooming with flowers, the birds chirp, and there is a lot to look forward to in the days ahead.

We come home, the dog is cleaned and ready for her breakfast and her nap and it’s only 7.30 am!

I have gained a one-hour head start which I never had before the dog came.

My mind is now clear as day, and I am able to have a leisurely breakfast and make some plans.

My point is, just start earlier than usual, you don’t really need a dog but a dog is a great motivating factor. Otherwise one needs sheer self-discipline to leave your comfort zone.

Start earlier than your usual schedule in the morning or when working towards any goals. You will surprise yourself with the extra time you never thought you can have.

And that is the time you have earned to do anything you want including working on something that you said you have no time for.

25th Dec 2022 3 min read

I always feel a sense of trepidation as the year approaches its final closure. Time again has slipped by fast like a clever thief, taking away my dreams which are half-fulfilled. More so in recent years where we feel more restricted due to the pandemic. However, my usual consolation is “New Year is coming! This time it is going to be different!”

Yes, yes, many times I have uttered this to myself. Not all is lost though.

The pandemic did do some good to me on reflection. It was like a spanner thrust into the wheel of my daily routine and caused me to veer sideways. Into new experiences, new dreams, and new friends.

In this space of three years of greater self-awareness about self-preservation, I have adopted a few skills and interests. I created my website which I had learned, understood how Ecommerce works in the backend, picked up line dancing, worked on my two left feet tendency, made interesting and encouraging friends, became interested in writing, improved my Mandarin, got acquainted with my Japanese language studies again and focused on building my dental practice, to turn it into a group practice since the pandemic had curtailed my traveling plans.

If not for the pandemic, my routine, die-hard life was about work, then travel, meeting up with the usual people, and repeating it. There is always a silver lining to the grey cloud. While bad things happen, one could only keep and must carry on if one cannot alleviate them.

The pandemic and the war have tempered many moods. I saw changes in some people where they have become more agitated, insecure, and even depressed. Yet there were others who carried on, living life as normally as possible, taking appropriate precautions.

I agree with the latter. Don’t stop your activities — those that you love doing, even if they involve interaction with many people due to fear of Covid. The virus makes no announcement, it lurks in the most unlikely places and it does not discriminate. Then, why fear?

The moment we fear death is the moment we start to die, internally. As if living life on a thread. Hesitating in achieving your goals because you have confined yourself to a zone of ‘safety’.

While being cognizant of the bad things that are happening around the world, one can do nothing but pray, be cautious, calm, and carry on. If you can help in some way, do. Otherwise, do not be paralyzed into inaction by negative comments and suggestions thrown around you.

Life still goes on. 2023 may always be the turning point. Things always get worse before it gets better and we may already have hit the bottom. If not, the human spirit must not submit.

A New Year, a new lease of life. Come what may, there are so many worthy goals to aim for and the journey ahead is certainly going to be exciting.