Ah, family. Do you appreciate your family?
Wouldn’t you agree that it can be so easy to forget, so easy to dismiss, and so easy to be swept away by obligations and responsibility, that sometimes it is easy to forget, pause, and appreciate the bonds that tie us to our roots? Our families.
On this hectic road we call life, I was reminded of a recent encounter with a fellow traveller. Let’s call him John. I asked if I could use our conversation for a column, and he said yes. John is studying business marketing. He’s a good friend of mine.
In our conversation, John shared how he was missing family gatherings, reunions, and his constant busyness had become his all-encompassing companion.
He said that in pursuit of success and progress, it is all too common for young individuals to inadvertently overlook their loved ones. I said, “That’s not true.”
Perhaps it is with guilt that I refused to agree. But in hindsight, I did agree with John.
Not everyone may be able to relate, but those who can, while I do not know your situation, I do share your sentiment.
If I could speak of my own situation, in addition to the effort of telling the community’s stories, I follow my own literary pursuits that consume perhaps my every waking hour. Truly, writing is a solitary endeavour. Some writers might even argue it is a lonely path. The path of the fool. Nonetheless, I do enjoy it.
But I found myself distanced from the very people who had been my pillars of support. It was not their fault, but my own.
And so did John. I texted him and asked if he was going home for Christmas. He said, “No. They’re too far. But you should.”
And I did.
This is just a reflection, or a realization that not everybody has the opportunity to share the warmth of the hearth with their loved ones. And to those who do - may you not lose sight of what is truly important.
