The new year is upon us! Everyone must be back to work or school by now. Either that, or getting a head start to whatever it is that you’ve set out to do for the year.
Just the thought of everyone trying their best to move on with life despite COVID-19 still affecting our lives truly heartens me. It makes me realize that there is still grit in the human spirit. Whatever life throws as at us, we can still get through it. But don’t lose track of our loved ones as we get on with the world. Our families are our pillars of strength. When we feel beat down, we can always rely on our mother, father, or siblings to get back on our feet. Whether it is through emotional or financial support, they have been by our side throughout most of our lives. Even more than any other person we’ve known.
But families can be tough sometimes. I have seen so many families fall apart due to all kinds of conflicts, worsened by the lack of proper communication. These are obstacles that we all have to go through so that the family can hopefully come out stronger.
One way to help you maintain a good relationship with the family is to try and adopt a different mindset about them. Instead of focusing on all the bad things they have done, try to balance that out with the good as well. For example, while you might hate the fact that your father has a gambling addiction, think of all the times he took you out for dinner or gave you useful advice about life. Or if the thought of your sibling receiving more affection from your mother ticks you off, think about all the times your sister or brother was able to care for your mother while you were not around.
Being quick to point out the bad in others is not healthy too. Nobody is perfect, including you. But we can still do better in life when we learn from our mistakes, even if it takes a string of messy arguments with the family to find out where we’ve gone wrong. The next time you quarrel with your family – which I hope you don’t – think about what you’ve done wrong in the situation, or how you can make the situation better instead of adding fire to the flame.
Families are worth all our time and effort because they will always be there for us. Don’t wait until it’s too late to make amends or check on them. Life is too short.
