A privileged life

In the past few days I have been waking up at odd hours - 4 in the morning or earlier. Past experience told me that I should just wake up and not try to get back to sleep and wake up a couple of hours later usually feeling absolutely shitty. So I woke up and did some cleaning. A few hours later, I left the house for work and other things and not return until about 12 hours later.

For some this sounds like a crazy life - for me, this is just normal. I agree that I can do with more sleep. I also think I can do with more shopping - but this is limited by the living space that I have currently. In line with family tradition, I am going to donate a big bag of clothes etc to charity for Christmas. I better do that this weekend so that the donation makes it in time for Christmas.

I grew up privileged. My parents provided me with everything I needed and put me through college. Somewhere along the line, they instilled the value of hard work, diligence and perseverance. I cannot think of better lessons to give to your children. I watched my dad working long hours on most days - typical Asian family sort of thing. We enjoyed a good share of family vacations and I got to travel since an early age. The upside is that I am so used to travelling. I got to see most of the things that I did not know I wanted to see. Travelling becomes a natural extension to living which I am excited about.

I live a privileged life. I have a job that pays a decent income, I can pay my taxes, I can afford good food, warm living space, nice clothes and I can treat my loved ones every now and then. I have good people whom I love and who love me. I am thankful with all of these plus so many other blessings in my life. All of these take hard work, and it is ok because I can work for these things and the rewards are sweeter than I imagined.

This is my definition of a good life - something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. This is what others say too, so I don't score any points of originality here. Whilst I have been aware of this for a long time, I admit that as I get older, I realise its meaning more and more. I appreciate life lot more today than I did ten years ago - which is one of the perks of getting older.