One weekend evening, I was engrossed preparing chicken adobo with egg, my son’s favorite Filipino dish. Wanting to get things done quickly since both of us were starving to death, I was multi-tasking: simmering the chicken while boiling the eggs on the other casserole. Not realizing I had put the egg on high temperature, hot water started to came out and I hastily removed the cover without using the potholder and of course, it was a disaster. I burnt my fingers. I quickly got myself some treatment as it was awfully painful. My son, who was sitting in the dining table making some drawings, blurted out nonchalantly, “It’s okay Mommy everything’s going to be alright!”.
I was silent for a second. That thought just struck me.
Being a single mom in a foreign country is definitely no fun. I have to juggle work and take care of my son. It is a bittersweet experience. I don’t know what each day brings but can only pray for my son’s wellness and safety. Motherhood is not a walk in the park and when you are bombarded with challenges and problems, figuring solutions on your own is downright overwhelming. And everytime I had these moments, I just want to breakdown and cry but I tried to fight back these vulnerabilities and remind myself every time of what my son told me, that everything will be alright.
As an adult, sometimes we think we know the answers. We have become good in analyzing things and finding solutions but at times, we fail to recognize that some things doesn’t need to be dwelt upon heavily especially those that are outside our control. And it’s going to be alright sooner or later.
Sometimes we take problems and misfortunes very seriously only to find out that it’s not that really worse after all. Solutions can oftentimes be as simple as brushing off the problem or having that childlike mindset that it will be okay soon.
Look at the kids in the playground or even on the streets, they enjoy playing as if there’s no tomorrow, those loud giggles, being carefree and just be out there having fun. When disagreements come, they are so quick to forgive, forget everything and continue playing as if nothing happens. Notice how happy they are, their faces beaming with pure joy and happiness.
We are so caught up with life that we forget to don this extraordinary childlike attitude. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Don’t waste your time figuring out why some things happen because chances are, you might not get the answer in your lifetime. Don’t be so focused looking for smart solutions because oftentimes the answers that we are looking for are just right in front of us. In the eyes of our children.