Hello everyone! How are you doing today? Hopefully, you are all doing great! Happy new year 2024!! Now, January 1st 2024 and thank God so much for His grace and His great love for all of us, I am here. We are as we are right now are not because of our strength, it is only because of His goodness and mercy which never stops in our lives.
As I said before, I had no plan for welcoming the new year. So, I just went dinner and took a walk around the place. My husband and I wanted to eat KFC fried chicken but my son wanted to eat McD fried chicken. We were confused then we decided to take away KFC fried chicken and would eat it in McD’s restaurant. Fair enough, isn’t it? At around 5.30 PM we arrived at McD and bring the fried chicken from KFC. For your information, there, KFC and McD are next to each other so we just have to walk from McD to KFC. Pretty good, uh? I bought my son fried chicken and we had dinner together there.
After we finished our food, we ordered cone ice cream and Mc Flurry choco. We really like the ice cream and because the taste was very good and it was so creamy. The habit of eating ice cream there is our old habit. By eating ice cream it feels like it can make our hearts mild and our mood better. We don't know what we will face in the next year but we believe that every step we take, God is guiding us. Every time there is an obstacle in front of us, we believe we can get through it and it all makes us more mature and have very useful experiences in the future.
I had so much learning through years and it made me stronger than before. I feel like myself so weak, I am not a person who is strong to face the world, to live the world. But, in the end I am going back to my Creator and He makes me strong because He is the Mighty strength. Like the song I have heard, You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my All in all. I am singing now, truly. We never know what is ahead of us. All are mysteries of life that make us always curious, ask questions, and don't forget to always hope. That is the most important thing especially in new year, there is a new hope too.
In this Hive community, I am very grateful because in my daily life I have a spirit of joy that makes my life more alive. That is so true. Usually, I live a very boring life. I just go through the same routine every day. You can imagine. Wake up early, take the children to school, pick him up from school, cook, eat lunch, sleep, and every day it continues like that over and over for the past years. Honestly, I am a mother but also sometimes I need refreshing and me time. It doesn’t mean that I do not enjoy my time with my family, NO. You know what I mean? Writing like this, it is such a enjoyment for me.
I often compare my life with other people. They are more than me. Their lives are better, more prosperous, and everything feels easier. I saw posts from my friends who also had their families spend the New Year and Christmas holidays abroad and eat delicious food. They looked happy and do not seem to have any problems as I am, as my family does. Sometimes I feel like this life is so unfair, don’t you think so?
When I'm in my room, alone, I look at my cell phone and social media. I saw one of my good friends in Australia. She is my best friend. I used to have a dream to start a band with her and I would be the vocalist and she would be the drummer or pianist. We have several songs that we wrote ourselves. Yes, I can compose songs and write lyrics. What an unforgettable moment.
Back in 2015, she asked me to go to Australia with her. We would use a work-holiday visa. So, we would take a vacation while working there to earn money and live there. She always told me to take the IELTS test because it was one of the requirements to be able to go to Australia and get that visa. My friend had done it and I was the only one who had not done it. However, in fact I met my husband here and in the end I didn't go with her to Australia.
Meanwhile, she still went and until now she feels at home there. She is a successful independent woman, hard-working, independent woman who truly enjoys spending time loving herself. She achieved all the dreams that I ever wanted for life. She works there as a hotel manager now and has lived there for 8 years. Every time I ask her to go back to Indonesia, she doesn't want to because she feels more comfortable there than returning to Indonesia. She also has many friends there and even though she lives alone, she really enjoys it all. She succeeded in everything.
I started comparing with myself now. I saw all my wishes come true in her life. My wishes happened in her life. I saw her watching a Hillsong concert live, watching concerts of famous bands and artists such as Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, and other famous artists or singers. I could see she was really enjoying it and from my place I could feel the incredible atmosphere. That's what I've wanted for a long time and until now I haven't been able to achieve it. My friend can travel abroad not only lives in Australia and has many friends from many countries but she also travels to Singapore, Thailand, China, Korea, Japan, and many more. These are what I want. I really want to go to those places where my friend has been. I want to go to Thailand, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States, Europe.
Wow! Do I wish too much? She once told me she wanted to go to Canada because in Australia it was difficult to get permanent residency. Her life is almost perfect for me. Besides, she comes from well-off family so I guess she got whatever she wanted.
Now, we are back to the reality. I started to think is that all I really want in life? That is all true. “But is that the most important thing?” “Are you sure?” Of course not. I have a husband that my friend doesn't have yet. I have children that she doesn't have yet. She has everything I want, and so do I. I have everything she might want. I never know, right.
That is life. We never know what she is facing, what she is experiencing, and what she is feeling. We only see the good side, the happy side, without knowing the bad side. We never know what problems other people are experiencing, what sadness other people are feeling, because we always show the good side and the nice side of our lives on social media. All people do this.
In this new year I have time to reflect on everything about life, the meaning of this life. What are we really looking for in this life? What is our purpose in living in the world with our respective circumstances? We determine our destiny. We are the ones who determine the choices and decisions in life. We don't know whether the choice is right or wrong, good or bad. One thing is for sure, I am not alone. God is always there for me, making me always strong and hopeful in Him. In every disappointment, despair, there is always comfort and help. We will not be left behind because God loves us and will definitely give us the best in His time.
Remember, that each of our lives has its own portion. We don't need to compare our lives with others. We do not have to be someone else. Be grateful for what we already have and experience. In every situation we can definitely get through it because there will always be new hope waiting for us ahead.
Photos are my own
