Welcome to Introvert Talks!
"Introvert Talks" is meant to be a new initiative or theme, where I myself as an introvert, just talk about reflections and thoughts about my life, or maybe share more personal stuff. :)
This is my third post under this "Introvert Talks" theme and let's see where it takes me and us.
What do you think is the most expensive gift to receive?
So one of my close friends just underwent an operation recently and I visited him after I ended work today. While I was on my way, he messaged to ask me if I could get some "tasty" food because he was on a "soft diet" so was given porridge for every meal. Since I had to get dinner for myself, it was no issue for me of course.
When I managed to find my way to his ward and bed, his family members were there too. I bought quite a fair bit of food so everyone just ate and chatted over dinner.
And it dawned upon me that, if I ever to be in such a situation (i.e. lying in a hospital bed), it's actually a nice and heartwarming feeling to be surrounded by people who care about me, or people who are close to me.
And at the moment, I just had the thought that time is actually the most expensive gift to receive. For someone to make time for you, they are giving you something that they can never gain or buy back. This is even more powerful than money, because money can be earned back in one way or another. If I am ever in such a situation, I rather have loved ones who would spend time by my side rather than those who don't have time or can't make the time to visit and just send a expensive gift basket.
But taking a step back, life is never so straightforward. The reality is that most of us have to exchange hours of our lives everyday for our monthly paycheck, so that we can pay our bills, service our mortgage loans, raise families and put food on the table. Time management and prioritisation is a factor, but everyone's life circumstances are different. As much as we want to spend time with people who matter, or just to do things we love, we might not always have a choice.
Just recently, due to important work meetings, I had to cancel my leave plans and couldn't accompany my parents for their medical appointments. Over the years, I always made it a point to take time off work to accompany them to see the doctor and this instance was an exception. As much as I was reluctant to prioritise my work over them, I made the decision that I felt was the best after considering all the issues. Of course, they were understanding that I had urgent work matters to settle on this one off occasion so I was thankful of that.
So that's my introverted talk today.
What are your thoughts? How do you prioritise your time, and do you sometimes struggle with time management, especially when many seemingly important stuff all require your attention? Share with me below!
