Life Tapestry.

Life Tapestries | Intentional Living, Faith, & Creative Reflection

Tag: age

  • Confidence

    What do you think gets better with age?

    Through age comes wisdom, shaped by experiences, lessons, learnings, and ideas that lead to accepting life as it is and not being too harsh on oneself. Through all the ups and downs, I master self-discovery and look forward to what life has to offer. We become a better version of ourselves every day, and with this, we build confidence in what we are doing. The most difficult tasks become part of our everyday routine. I know I am not wrong in saying that through age I gain confidence, because that’s exactly how I am living my life now. The curiosity to try and take action makes everything different. So, I am grounding myself to take action and give it a try. If it works, it works; if not, I can always go to plan B.

  • Who I am is more important than judgement from my appearance

    Maturing swiftly, seemingly unaware of the years passing by, I find myself blessed with yet another year. In my younger years, I held the belief that by my current age, I would have achieved complete independence. However, I now realize this was mere wishful thinking, as my plans were formulated without actively involving God in my prayers and aspirations. I was confident that I could contend with time and attain full independence, allowing my parents to enjoy their lives without concerns.

    Reality has struck hard; instead of bringing stress relief, I find myself weighed down by more worries. My plans and dreams have been inconsistent, often wavering from one idea to another. The pressure from my family adds to the uncertainty, making it challenging to hold onto a clear path. I am currently in pursuit of a job that offers better compensation, working tirelessly with the ultimate goal of reducing the pressure.

    My primary objective is to work diligently, earning more, with the bottom line being a desire for respect from my colleagues. I yearn for them to acknowledge and appreciate me for who I am, rather than forming judgments based on appearances.

  • Why AGE is just a number?

    Recently, I came across a perseverant man in his early 60s who decided to step into my classroom to polish his skills in English. He had experienced life from a heavy blow to the highest point of satisfaction. His love for films and movies can never be extinguished. After fulfilling the duties of being a father to his two children (they are well settled with life now), he is now ready to fly off with his wings wide open. He says life is all about doing what we love because we don’t know when, but one day we should be ready to go as death is inevitable. A faithful and eager learner, he makes sure to be present every single day, despite the fact that on most normal days, he will have to say goodbye to his friends, relatives, and loved ones. As these goodbyes might be the last journeys for them, yet with agility, he will smile and attend my class after sending them off.

    At first, I thought he was giving me lame excuses, as there couldn’t be a day where he had to send off his loved ones every alternate day. However, when I recount his age and theirs, I apologize to myself for my short-sightedness. Life truly is moving at a very fast pace. We would often ask him about his childhood and be amazed by how fast the world has changed within six decades.

    Despite the fact that he is a grandpa to most of my other students, he is always the one who makes them feel that learning is all about courage and effort. He never stops himself from answering the questions being asked or the assignments being given. Instead, he would laugh it off and say he’s a kindergartener, being lenient with himself when his answers were wrong. Honestly speaking, I feel undeserving to be teaching him. At first, I thought it would be a big challenge for me because I had never had a student of his age. I was definitely reluctant to accept him into the class, yet I gave myself a chance to accept individuals as they are and never judge them for who they are. I’d say I really used the principle of social workers—the principle of non-judgmental attitude.

    I am glad I did not turn him away, and I am grateful that my other students did not despise or ridicule him. Instead, they are accepting him and learning together with him as a classmate. They laugh, learn, and share experiences together, giving me the energy to get up every morning and be ready for class. I am indeed grateful to have them in my classroom.