Living life as it is wins hands down

HAVING left the working world a few years ago, the question of whether I should return to the working world with all its grind and glory does pose a temptation at times. This is especially so when I go out shopping and shopkeepers wonder if I had taken a day off and I would smile and politely say that every day is a day off to me. Then there are friends who are still going to the office daily and they would tell me the happenings of the day. The greatest temptation is when someone offers me a lucrative job. I certainly do not miss the traffic jam, the office politics, the red tape or the injustices. But truth be told, I miss teaching. Period.

So, I would go through this long mental debate of whether I should go out into the dog-eat-dog world again, feel those extra wads of cash in my pocket, see the faces of my students and why I opted out in the first place. The result is always the same: living life as it is wins hands down.

It is living life in its raw simplicity, seeing things through the eyes of a child -- full of curiosity and amazement. I enjoy animated films because they are creative and fun, the most recent being Hotel Transylvania where Dracula with all his fangs bites no one. I enjoy comic heroes like Superman, Spiderman or Batman because they are larger than life. They suspend reality and portray the element of hope. It is living life in celebration of my strengths and trying to achieve a good balance between who I am and what I want to be. It is a space where I have carved for myself to nurture my self worth which is no longer defined by an academic degree or a pay cheque or a life in a prestigious enclave of the city with the rich and famous. Mark Twain says, "A man cannot be comfortable with himself without his own approval." I can retreat into my creative side and make cards or paint or write or read. I can be a friend by inviting others to my home anytime for home brewed tea and egg sandwiches. Speaking of which, after two years of waiting for the carpenter, the electrician and the contractor, I finally have a room that screams of my presence everywhere. It bears distinctive touches of its mistress: a world of collectibles, childhood memories and sepia-toned photographs. It is a room where yet another string can be added to my bow, and I can be stronger. I have decided to name it Howards End after E.M. Forster's novel which revolves around refuge and ownership.

It is living life in the knowledge that we make mistakes again and again but we can heal and recover. It is when we go through a variety of experiences that we can empathise with others and offer a shoulder for someone else to cry on. It is living life with more time in my hands. There is no clocking in or clocking out. I can go to bed late without worrying about the alarm clock. I can sleep in if the winds are still howling outside and the frost is building up. I can refuse to leave the warm duvet and instead watch the birds fight over the unfortunate worm that has decided to wriggle out of the damp ground. I can just choose to take that carrot or that chunk of meat out of the refrigerator as and when I want to cook without having to pre-plan the meal the night before. It is certainly easier to make adjustments, to pack the bags and go for a holiday or to attend to an urgent matter without having to apply for leave It is living life in anticipation of what is to come. Autumn with its mellow fruitfulness is almost over. The leaves are falling and covering the sidewalks and soon winter will be here. My coats, hats, boots and gloves will resurface from the closet and I will have great fun coordinating what goes with what. It is also living with the excitement that my children have grown a little older, a little more mature and independent and a lot more precious. It is feeling happy in one's own skin. It is to be content.

Read more: Living life as it is wins hands down - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/living-life-as-it-is-wins-hands-down-1.172749#ixzz2Cae9rqEI