Femme Power

In one of the best books I’ve read, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, a boy yearned to know the secret of happiness and sought the answer from the wisest man in the world.

The wise man instead asked the boy to look around his palace while the boy carried a spoon full of oil. The boy had to return after two hours of wandering without allowing the oil to spill. The boy did as he was told, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon as he wandered around the wise man’s palace. Indeed, after two hours he returned to the wise man with the oil still on the spoon.

The wise man asked the boy if he saw the tapestries hanging in his dining hall, the magnificent garden that took his master gardener 10 years to create, or the beautiful parchments in his library. None of these were seen by the boy as his attention was focused on the spoon alone, careful not to spill the oil.

So the wise man asked him to go back and observe, still carrying the spoon full of oil. This time the boy observed the works of art on the walls and ceilings, the gardens, the mountains around it, all the marvels in and around the wise man’s palace.

When he returned to the wise man, he was proud to narrate everything that he saw. But the wise man asked about the drops of oil he entrusted to the boy. It was all gone.

“The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon,” said the wise man.

Sometimes we tend to be too indulged in one or a few aspects of our lives that we forget to stop and smell the flowers (though it’s just as bad if all we do is smell the flowers without being productive, however you define productivity).

I used to have a fast-paced life. With highly-demanding jobs I held for the past 14 years, I hardly noticed that time has passed me by.

True, my past careers brought me self-satisfaction, growth and excitement. And even if I had the power to turn back time, I would still work with the same passion.

Only this time I would allow myself to enjoy my leave credits and slow down when I or my daughter gets ill; I would not skip lunches and coffee breaks; I would allot time for important family occasions instead of rendering endless overtime. I would work smart, not hard.

But I can’t turn back time. In my new career as the COO of my own household, I find ways to channel my energy into pursuing my other interests (obviously topping the list is blogging) apart from starting my own business.

After all, I wouldn’t wanna wander around spilling my oil.

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