My husband gave his a co-worker a ride today. They chatted in the car and when he got back, he shared her story with me. Her name is Rachel*. She and her husband Dan*, are Malaysians working in Singapore. For those of you out there who are not aware, geographically Malaysia and Singapore are close neighbours. It is very common for folks to travel for work in the neighbouring country.
Since they are on work permits, they are living in rented public housing. They have 2 small children back home in Malaysia, but they do not see them often. Rachel is a hardware technician while Dan works as a technician in an oil refinery. They receive relatively low wages due to their lower educational background. Dan often have to pick up overtime, from 8.30am to 10pm at night, so as to work towards a better future.
Then, there is another story of Ling*. She, like Rachel, works here in Singapore from Malaysia. Ling and her husband, Lee*, just had a baby girl. But as she is not a Singaporean, she only gets 2 months of maternity leave instead of 4. After 2 months, she left her baby in her hometown in Ipoh to come back to work here in Singapore. Due to their low income, they can only afford to go back to Ipoh every few months.
My husband also shared a story he heard from a friend. Many people from rural China leave their hometowns to get a job in big cities. They beg and borrow and scrap up enough money to make the trip to the city. There they work in hard labour jobs with low wages. Often, these men are not able to visit their families for years on end and some for the rest of their lives. Their families live from hand to mouth on the wages the men send home and are seldom able to visit them as well.
It is when I hear of stories of hardship like these that I remember that I have a lot to be grateful about.
I am lucky to have parents who insisted on a good education and pushed me to achieve what I can. With a degree, I was able to get a good job. With a good education, it provided me with strong and solid stepping stones to get to where I want to be. I am grateful to have a strong a supportive family and family in-law. I am grateful that even with 4 kids, my husband and I can enjoy the occasional Starbuck coffee or a 3 day holiday in Phuket.
I am grateful that I get to see my kids grow up. I have the chance of being close to them and be a support to them. I get to see them florish under my care and sprout strong wings to fly. I am grateful for my friends who are always there for me, for better or for worse.
I am grateful for my husband, who not only is my best friend and soul mate, but also my pillar of strength. He is whom I would want to spend the rest of my life with.
Most of all, I am grateful for my faith and the ability to practice it here in Singapore. I know of people who are ostracised or even killed for proclaiming their faith.
Life is hard, but for some, it is particularly hard. We can keep complaining about our aches and pain, or we can choose to take them in our stride. We can stay selfish and only see our own suffering, or we can reach out to others who need a helping hand. We can lament about how our friends and neighbours are doing better than us, or we can learn to be content with what we have. We can choose to stay miserable and only exist, or we can choose to be happy and live.
What is your choice?
*names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals
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