Year End Thoughts

By now some of us might have realized that the people who has helped us the most are the people who at one point in our lives, has pushed us to the limit. We might have been calling these people bosses from hell, the most difficult customer or the cruelest gym trainer. Then, maybe a few years (or even only months later) we usually look back and think, 'I wouldn't have achieved this, if so and so didn't ask me to do this and this and that.'

It is good to have all nice people around us, who smile all day and speak with their softest voices and always OK with us changing certain deadlines by giving thousands of reasons. It would be even nicer if they are always agreeing on our opinion and make us feel like we are so matured, intelligent and successful.

I don't call these people bad, they are just behaving the way they think they should be. They might want to please us, so we stick as their friends or good working buddies. Maybe they don't want to hurt our feelings by making controversial remarks on certain issues, or perhaps it's just not their style to say that they don't agree with us and think that we're jerks.

However good these people are, they will spoil us in so many ways. No, I'm not saying that we should stop being friends with these people. Stick with them, by all means. They are also the people who will lift your spirits whenever you're down or troubled. They will bring you to have melted ice cream on chocolate moist cake, keep you company and listen to all your worries when you need someone to lend their ears (for 2 hours or more!).

These nice people will pamper us and sometimes they make us feel good, or even make us feel like living on a fairyland. The comfort they bring will make us smile happily and think, 'Oh this is just perfect, this is what I have always wanted to feel.'

Then, there are the not-so-nice people that we have to live with. They usually bring us unnecessary emotional turmoil, make us jump whenever we hear their footsteps or even shiver a little upon seeing an email from them. They look at us with a certain sharpness in their eyes that will make us think that there's no way we can escape from them, thus our feet just freeze and feel like planted on the floor. At times, the wind also stops blowing and oxygen ceases entering our nostrils once they're about to utter a word.

When they speak, we hear thunders, our hearts race faster. The description is almost like falling in love, however the truth is, it is so the opposite of that; it's actually like those people just push you off into a slippery trap 12 feet deep with tigers and lions guarding on top. The worse news is that, we are usually unequipped, we only have our bare hands and must use our brain in order to survive.

So, when you finally made it to the top of the pit, you have to fight the wild animals. Then you have to break free from the uncivilised jungle to reach the nearest village where you'll find water and food. The villagers are not that really friendly, you know. It takes a lot of patience and communication skill just to convice them that you're worth it. There's no such thing as free lunch.

When you finally make it to the city safely, reach the cozy little place you call home, take a long hot bath and followed by a cup of cappucino, stretch you aching limbs on your imported sofa, that's when the thought would strike. 'Hey, I've survived. This feels so great. Never thought I could ever get through all these. I am not as weak as I thought.'

In other words, this is when we realize the inner strengths that has never surfaced before. We could have never done those extra miles if not for the pressure and desperation. Then, suddenly the people who pushed you down the pit don't seem to be so bad after all.

However, there are more than one pit in this life, some are deeper, some a bit shallow. The wild animals are actually everywhere, not just at the edge of the pit. Sometimes, they just appear from nowhere, even in the comfort of the village area.

Whatever the situation is, we always think that we are not ready, unequipped and reluctant to face challenges and changes in life. Without realizing it, we just face whatever comes, deal with it and we actually make it through. Then, before the year ends, we realize that we are now better and stronger. So, enjoy what's left of 2006 and brace ourselves for the coming new year! Happy long hols to everybody taking long leaves.