By Phoebe Ang, Kuala Belait.
Note: This is a story written as a 'want' or hope written by a subscriber to our site and blog. It is written as a hope that will happen, like a story of her life that should come true. I have allowed it as an editor as talking openly about your wants is part of being open (emotional vulnerability) and should be normalized in caring relationships and communities. Even simple desires can be validated as long as you are self aware and try to avoid disconnecting from reality. --AD.
Some 20 years ago in a small oil and gas district, there was a girl whose dreams were larger than life. In her mind, she planted the passion of opening up her own restaurant. It was more than just her love for good food – she wanted it to be a place of comfort and warmth, where family and friends can gather and not only enjoy a meal together but also the possibilities of the magic of connection that could happen. She has always enjoyed hosting festive parties for friends and family – even until today her family members would look forward to attending Christmas and other festivities knowing that the hospitality they would receive would be out of this world.
Years went by as the girl became an adult; the dream slowly faded away as she got a job in the corporate world.She pushed her vision of the restaurant to the back of her head, for she had reality to contend with. Life continued on as she got married and had children of her own. Throughout her career, despite earning enough for her small family - there was never a time she felt her heart full, there was something deep down that was missing. Every job she landed in there was never really satisfying, nothing ever contented her heart’s desires.
One day, she decided to quit her corporate job and took a break for about 7 months to totally redefine her life. It was not an easy decision to make. Despite her mother constantly nagging her to change her mind or regret quitting a stable job, she decided to do it anyway. With the little money that she saved over the years, she enrolled in a barista class and learned how to make coffee. Her first few clients were family and close friends. There is still a long way to go and much improvement needed but over the years, what she learnt is that fear is normal, anxiety is normal, all the late nights of overthinking are normal. But living a life in fear, anxiety and not taking risks is not the way to get out of it.
Her journey taught us that regrets are not permanent scars but instead they can be stepping stones towards personal growth and self-actualization. Instead of always thinking “what if, what if” or what might have been, the baby steps she took towards prioritizing her passion was definitely worthwhile.
You see, sometimes the path we take are life lessons preparing us for our true calling. Embrace each twist and turn as life is molding into the masterpiece of our destiny. When the Universe knows we are ready for it, life itself creates a pathway for us. I believe that everything happens for a reason – so trust the journey, believe in the process and walk with courage.
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