By Lorna Ramirez
All of us have experienced different colourful stages in our lives, as we walk through out the journey of life. Some are lucky to have a long journey, of which they achieve fulfilment of their dreams, yet, there are some who are unable to do so as they are taken by death prematurely.
At a very young age, the world seems too big for our eyes. Everything around us is exciting and new to us. As we grow older our concepts of life change. The quest for knowledge becomes insatiable. We work hard for our ultimate desires: power and wealth. Then greed starts to slowly creep in and corrupts our body, mind and soul. But at the end of our journey, we sometimes question ourselves: is it all worth it?
At the prime time of our lives we think that we are invincible, biting off more than we can chew. Keeping up with the modern times and keeping up with the Joneses. But what really is a successful life? Is it measured by material possessions or power? The answer will depend on your priorities in life. For me my priority is to have a relatively healthy body, and sound mind, hence I can enjoy the rest of my journey.
Gaining experience as we grow older makes us stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. Why? Because our values change as we approach the end of our journey. What was relevant before is not now, and is no longer important.
I had witnessed a very sad scenario that broke my heart. I was at the counter at a major grocery store and I overheard a son yelling at his elderly mum; the mother had picked up the wrong item. In a soft tone of voice, she was telling her son that she could go back and change it, but the son angrily told her that he didn’t have time to wait for her.
Will this happen to me, will my loved ones treat me like this if I’m no longer productive and strong? Scary thoughts indeed. Nonetheless, there are quite a lot of heart-warming scenarios; I had seen sons and daughters caring and looking after their elderly parents, even bringing them to festivities and events thus taking the time to share precious moments together. These will always put a smile on my face. I do hope that my loved ones will do the same for me and would never forget me in my old age. Well… only time will tell.
An excerpt from my book “My Innermost Thoughts”
‘Journey of Life’
In our young days we were so eager
To learn new things, venture new experiences
Enjoy each time, we went through
Extensive knowledge we so desired
But
It is in our mature years we can comprehend,
Understand, appreciate,
Appreciate everything we learned
And the experiences as we walk through the journey of life
