Stop running and start walking (through your life)
Most people nowadays are so occupied with their 9-5 job that they’ve basically run through their life. But the thing is that time never stops for anyone…and the people around us do get older with time.
In fact, the more attention we give to our work, the less attention we give to the people around us. And the less attention we give to the people around us, the sooner they will leave us or walk out from our life.
So if you are the type who are so engrossed in your work that you’ve never visited your relatives or family members for many months, maybe it’s time to take a few days off to visit them. And pay attention to how much they’ve changed while you are busy with your work.
And most importantly, stop running everyday. Working all day long will just burn your life away and it will make you miss a lot of nice things in life….and neglect a lot of people you care and love. Start walking through your life and appreciate everything. Visit your family, relatives, friends. Go out and have dinner with them. Talk to them. Care for them.
Because if you don’t stop running, you might find that one day…you’ve missed out far too much on the things that you care and love. Remember that most of these things only happen once in life. You won’t get a second chance if you’ve missed them. 
p/s…. i recently returned to my hometown of Batu Pahat, Johor, to visit my grandmother. She’s quite old now..around 80+ and she could not walk the other day. So I forced myself to go back (with my parents) even though I wasn’t feeling well. It’s only a month since my last visit, and I noticed that a lot of my relatives have aged significantly. And that’s the reason I’m writing this post because I do know people who are so engrossed in their work and their own life that they don’t visit their relatives, family, parents or grandparents.
Most people reserve the visiting for Christmas or Chinese New Year, which is inadequate to me. I think many people hesitate to knock on a relatives door becoz they have no idea what to say. What do you think of cybervisiting family though – through a videocam? That’s what I do with my brother in Boston, and he videocams to my parents in Sg too.
Damien Tan
5 Jun 09 at 12:05 pm
@ Damien
It depends on what kind of relatives. I don’t visit all my relatives except for few very close ones. Those are people I really care. But for some, they don’t visit any of them.
Videocam? Good idea for those people staying in big cities. For people in small towns, they hardly know how to use computer.
Alvin Lim
5 Jun 09 at 7:54 pm
I guess it depends on the person whether he is introvert or extrovert?
ChampDog
5 Jun 09 at 10:52 pm
@ ChampDog
Hmm, but if those people are very close family members? Being an introvert does not mean that person should ignore them and stop visiting them.
Alvin Lim
6 Jun 09 at 10:03 am
That’s a good message. I haven’t seen my grandma for awhile, when she came visit last week, I was so so happy and gave her a big big hug.. she couldn’t stop smiling.. I realized, that’s what matters to them — to see us! Thanks for the reminder.
@wchingya
social media/blogging
Ching Ya
6 Jun 09 at 10:46 am
@ Ching Ya
Thanks for dropping by Ching Ya
Yeah, for most senior people, money does not matter much to them anymore. Their relatives, their children, their grandchildren…those are the people matter to them. And yet, most younger generation don’t realize that.
Alvin Lim
6 Jun 09 at 11:53 am