I growled under my breath, Manglish* coming to the fore whenever I’m home for the holidays.
“How can you drive in KL without getting stressed at the traffic?!”
My Grab driver was really chilled.
“Well, I can’t change it, so I might as well accept and make the most of it. I now have time to listen to a podcast or an audio lecture.” 🧘
I’m learning a lot about acceptance on my trip home to Malaysia with my family, and this was just one of a series of lessons.
There are only 3 ways to deal with sub-optimal situations:
1. Do nothing (accept)
2. Change the situation
3. Leave the situation
When options (2) and (3) are not available, then we must learn to accept things with grace.
My aunt passed away on this trip home, and it was another painful lesson in accepting the loss of someone I loved. 💔
We all grieve in our own ways, and I don’t believe there is a real timeline or defined stages we go through.
And so, I’m processing it in my own way, by writing and drawing.
My Tai Pak Mou did not have a happy life.
But she was a deeply caring person, and she made an impact to her children and those whose lives she touched.
She’s been watering the seedlings around her, and the flowers will bloom long after she is gone. 🌹
And that’s what I’ve learned from her.
Thank you Tai Pak Mou.
❤️
* Manglish = Malaysian English
