"The heaviest baggage for a traveler is an empty purse..." - German proverb
Friends started calling and e-mails filled up my in-box again. Friends questioned on how I managed to drop everything and go off for a long holiday without having guilt feelings to leave work and family. I had fun listening and reading their comments and I responded – what work? What family?
I told them, so very often when we are engrossed in work and daily matters, we forget how important relaxation is. It’s true. Ever since I first stepped in this organization, I have been a workaholic. I never went home before the day was dark and be in office before the sky was bright. Since the children were small, I seldom take leave, even when they were down with fever. I leave it to the nursery to take care of them. I only see them when they were already in bed and many times I missed kissing them good nights. The same thing goes to my hubby, full time job and no-slow-down.
Too often we are so busy building our wealth that we neglect our health. But now we are making an effort to have a work-life balance. While hubby had slowed down significantly when he left his corporate job, I am still high in adrenaline into my work for I just do not know how to sit still, yet.
My advice to friends… Don’t wait till you retire. Take that vacations and rejuvenate!
Your body will thank you a lot.
Betul kak..we have started doing that...kalau dah tua sangat kang, nak jalan2 pun dah tak larat...
ReplyDeleteTake care kak nong :)
i totally agree with you kak nong.. you should not be neglecting your personal life and concenrate too much on work..everthing needs to be balance..to me holiday is very important.. that is when i take my mind out of work..really enjoy, have fun and spend quality time with family... to me, family and life are more important..work is just work..never ending job..
ReplyDeleteKak Nong,
ReplyDeletevery very true what you said. It takes something to happen for us to realise it. And it is hard to slow down when we are so used to be occupied and pumping hard d adrenalin... It takes a while to get use to it..
Kak selamat pulang...
ReplyDeleteBetul kata akak...kadang2 kita leka bekerja mencari rezeki hingga terlupa kesihatan sendiri...
betul tu.. nak kena tinggal kan kerja tu buat sementara waktu dan pegi kemana suka.. tak dapat jauh dekat pun ok..kan
ReplyDeleteand your children will also thank you if you bring them along!
ReplyDeletehehehehe :P
Maklang,
ReplyDeleteBagus tu kalau dah start early, especially bila the kids dah besar seronok kalau pergi family holiday. Kalau dah tua nanti, banyak masaalah lain lagi esp kesihatan…
And, bila the kids dah adults dorang maybe dah tak mau ikut kita lagi… he he
*****
Lara,
I worked hard during my younger years and at times neglected my loved ones. Luckily they understood the nature of my job and my health was deteriorating too. I was contemplating quitting my job many many times especially when I was warded several times. I was so stressed that my heart stopped functioning. After my angiogram procedures, I realized I need to slow down a little, and enjoy life to the fullest before it’s too late.
As for my job, I can quit any time…
*****
Anggerik,
I am lucky to realize early the extent of pressure the body could take. I am preparing for retirement years when I can do most of the things that I could not do now…
It may takes time to adjust to a more relaxing life style…
aNIe,
ReplyDeleteBaru balik office dah banyak kerja. Belum habis penat lagi ni, next week dah kena pergi outstation pulak.
*****
Zino,
That is why we make a point to take off and relax on weekends kat kebun. Boleh tenang kan fikiran… Kalau nak travel jauh tu, kena ambik cuti panjang sikit baru seronok merantau…
*****
Sara,
Tiap2 kali mak abah nak travel, kita mesti offer you all to come along. Tapi takde sape nak take the offer this time. Rugi... rugi.. Masa you all younger and still schooling, senang sikit nak have family holiday.
Watch out for our travel plan next year. Destination - Qatar (after Umrah). Sape2 nak ikut simpan cuti! And duit… he he…
ayat-ayat yang menusuk kalbu dan menyuntik semangat baru; relax, response, retreat!
ReplyDeleteNak copy paste and email to my darling...hehehe
Salam Kak Nong,
ReplyDeletegreat adventure u had with hubby down there..
its true, masa ni la nak travel..i used to work like H### too..sampai tak smepat nak pi saloon, gunting rambut snediri, but now i reward myself and family..ganti balik
Cik Milah,
ReplyDeleteJangan tunggu dah too stress baru nak relax, response, retreat!
Kalau dah sakit, our body will take longer time to recuperate back to normal...
*****
Sue,
It was a great experience walkabout at land down under just the two of us...
Once in a while, we need to pamper and reward ourselves after a hard day's work. Kak nong pun dah lama tak indulge in spas and salons...
I cant agree with you more sis!
ReplyDeleteAt my age now I can feel that I am not as energetic as I used to be.Yes, sometimes I just feel like leaving everything behind and go somewhere peace and quiet where I can be myself and do some soul searching and rest.
Afterall, this is not the everlasting place for us..we will end up in another world and are we or are we not prepared for it???
So,kata orng berpada-pada lah mengejar duniawi.Slow down..take rest and lead an easy but fullfilling life..
Tu yang kekadang bila boss bising2 buat tak tau je..tak mau tension2..buat pekak je..
Madam,
ReplyDeleteThere were times in our life when our mind played havoc with our thoughts and emotions. We feel like going somewhere far and quiet, away from family and friends. Do our soul searching...
When this happens, we need to break loose and do something exciting. If not we'll become cuckoo... he he...
sungguh menarik n3 nie...sy akan pastikan kandaku membaca n3 nie jugak.tq sis... :).sis n bro mus mmg menjadi contoh kami...jaga kesihatan n ageing gracefully.
ReplyDeleteThanks Allah that have given you a great man, a great job and a great lifestyle that you both cherish.
ReplyDeletedalia mmg pentingkan kesihatan...kalau sakit..adoi...payah...org kata ade duit pun kalau sakit..no point....
ReplyDeleteI like how you plan your frequent holidays and short breaks, Kak Nong. It's good to have a partner who enjoys travelling too:)
ReplyDeleteTulip,
ReplyDeleteJangan fikir sangat pasal hari tua tu. Enjoy life while you can. My advice is, jaga kesihatan dan do things together with loved ones and keep life happy and exciting.
There's nothing you can do about growing old, the clock is going to tick away.
*****
Tok Ngah,
I could not thank Allah enough. I am contented with life for I have a loving partner who shares my passions and interests, who walks my path through my ups and downs, who will catch me when I fall.
And I have beautiful understanding children too…
DaliaLiyana,
ReplyDeleteBetul kata Dalia tu. Money can’t buy happiness and health. Itu sebab bila dah berumur ni kena jaga kesihatan.
The honest truth is that it's sad to be old and fragile, and there is feeling of fears of losing independence or getting a serious illness. Aging gracefully isn't always easy, but attitude matters a lot.
*****
Hazia,
We make a point of jotting down in our wish list our next destinations and start planning when and what to explore. The only limitation for now is for me to take long leave when office work is still a priority.
Hubby’s time is flexible. Hopefully, when I retire the travel planning will be easier…
Hi Nong, you doing the right thing. Wayyyyy to go.
ReplyDeleteOur life today is not a dress rehearsal.
I have seen some friends younger than me practically died at their work desk.
Two died at home, age below 40s...of a cardiac arrest.
I gave up everything at 43 and start a new life here, so as not tempted to return to previous high stressed work.
Yes, get your batteries recharged, take time to smell the flowers...your family will want you around long time.
Best regards, Lee.
Uncle Lee,
ReplyDeleteYes, we have to free ourselves from being a alave to our work.
Before I turned 50 I used to work very hard, ate frequent high-fat, high-cholesterol foods, did not exercise much, and lived with high stress in almost every area of my life. Now I want to go slow, and enjoy life to the fullest…
“Some slaves are scoured to their work by whips, others by their restlessness and ambition.”
-Archimedes
k.nong welcome back...i need to rejuvanate my body and soul too...after everything happened to me recently...huhu...
ReplyDeleteAinaa,
ReplyDeleteKak nong simpati dgr cerita ainaa. Harap2 urusan semua telah selesai. Must be a shock!
Jangan tension sangat, go for a short break. Take care ye...
to travel sometimes time tak kena...so short tem mesure, i will end up pampering myself in a spa :)
ReplyDeleteMama,
ReplyDeleteMemang susah nak cari time nak gi travel. Bila dah ada time kena H1N1virus threat pulak... Semua countries affected.
Kak nong pun kalau boring sangat2 mesti gi relax kat spa. At least indulge in body massage. Syok nye... he he..
cuti sonok kannns.. ehehe
ReplyDeleteEn Me,
ReplyDeleteMemang seronok kalau berjalan. Yang tak seronok nye bila nak masuk balik kerja. Liat betul...
Kak Nong
ReplyDeletethe first time I baca your blog I went to bed at 3.00 am...your travel blog really interesting and you're so lucky...Dulu we all rajin jugak travel then I dpt baby at the age of 40 so now slow down lah sikit ..just pergi treasure hunt je once a while...itu je lah my getaway as for now...after all I am a full time mom.
Mrswongjowo,
ReplyDeleteI am lucky as hubby and I share same interests. So dari dulu lagi kami suka camping, hiking, event mountain climbing. One time we like biking too, masa muda dulu rempit jugak , pastu pakai easy rider jer round semenanjung. Now dah berumur ni kena go slow and steady, sekali sekala we’ll join the local 4x4 expedition, if not we travel oversea in leisure and relax mood…
Your princess tu so cute. Doesn’t matter if you are full time housewife, if you and hubby love traveling, don’t stop. Bring the kids along, it will be fun!
Mengembara, itulah yang paling indah dalam hidup kerana dalam kembara kita mencipta kenangan dan kenangan itu mengajar kita menghargai hidup.
ReplyDeleteSetuju dengan kata-kata Kak Nong.
Salam :)
B Rampai,
ReplyDeleteTrue. Friends often ask: lama nye mengembara, tak boring ke? Tak rindu ke pada rumah dan anak2... cehhh!
Actually home is where the heart is :) especially when you travel with your loved one, it is so fulfilling, and so much to share. With modern tech. you don’t miss happenings back home or office. As long as there’s internet connection, I can access mails and even do work from abroad. As for the kids, they don’t even realized that we are traveling… The magic of SMS, YM and facebook… even blogs…
Lain lah kalau mengembara di Sahara dessert hari tu… hp coverage pon takde… he he…
Lama tak update kak nong..You sihat???
ReplyDeleteMadam,
ReplyDeleteAlhamdulillah sihat wal-afiat. Hanya terlalu busy with work and court cases. Takde masa nak update & surf the net...
Just completed one complicated case in Ipoh. And more coming. Lebih busy dari lawyer. He he...