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| Photo credit http://kidthings.net |
Today, June 15, is my 33rd birthday. And because I am saving for something big, I thought of keeping my birthday celebration SIMPLE.
For me, simple means minimum expenses but meaningful results.
My plan was to spend my birthday the way I would want to spend the rest of my days in the future. (Note: In this case, FUTURE is synonymous to ASAP.) And for me to be able to do this, I took a leave from work. I thank my superior and employer for this blessing called "vacation leave."
Let me share with you how my day went.
6:30 am I woke up, prepared myself and my first grader Gaby for school
7:30 am Gaby and I were at Creston Academy. Her classes start at 8:00 am
8:30 am I was back at home, reading a book How to Become a Happy Retiree, and lying next to my 3-year old daughter Elise who was still asleep
9:00 am Elise was up and we enjoyed watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
10:00 am I went to BDO to make a deposit for our (me and my two friends) donation for World Vision's Volunteer Caravan. This amount will be used to repaint schools in Aklan.
11:00 am I was back at Creston and waiting for Gaby's dismissal at 12:30 pm. While waiting, I was able to buy minimum shares of a blue chip company thru COL, exchanged messages with a travel agency, inquired about a new business, finalized orders for Gaby's birthday happening in a month, thanked friends for their birthday greetings, and read a book in between.
1:00 pm Gaby and I were back at home. We enjoyed my birthday lunch (take out), watched Disney Junior and played, then took an afternoon nap between Gaby and Elise.
5:00 pm I received a message from a new customer of our small business saying that an amount of Php7,950 was deposited to my account. My parents prepared this purchase.
6:00 pm My kids and I were off to SM. We had our favourite Belgian Waffles, played at the arcade, shopped for pompoms and bought Disney magazines.
9:00 pm I put my kids to bed and I begin doing my next favourite thing -- writing :)
And now, the LESSONS I learned in one day...
1.) On our way home, Gaby says, "Mommy, sana laging ganito. Yung hindi ka na umaalis." (Mother, I hope things are always like this, wherein you don't have to leave.) I held her hand, and with a pinch of pain in my heart, I answered her, "Soon."
On my birthday, I was experiencing a "rock bottom moment." This is a term I use which means frustration. At that moment, I was telling myself that if only I started saving and investing when I began earning, I can quit being an employee anytime I would prefer to.
To the single ladies reading this post, my message for you is simple. Earn as much as you can, and invest in the future before the present. I am not telling you to be frugal. Go ahead, reward yourself and enjoy the fruits of your hard work; but always remember to pay yourself first. How? By investing in your future.
2.) I received tons of birthday greetings through Facebook, text messages, and even emails. Having very few friends, I was overwhelmed.
"Strangers are just family you have
yet to come to know."
- Mitch Albom, Five People You Meet in Heaven
The above quote was from one of my favourite books. It was touching that I have schoolmates, workmates from my current employer and other companies, doctors who I have known from work, customers from our small business, readers from my blog and members from an auto club WHO BECAME MY FRIENDS, and eventually, FAMILY.
I have not even met many of these people personally, and yet we talked as if we have known each other for a very long time. As cheesy as it may sound, but it was just magical.
These birthday greetings became a reminder for me that there are a lot of things I could do with my life to make it more meaningful. I can talk to a lot of people, reconnect with them, or enjoy a great conversation with them over lunch.
Just today, I received an invitation from these friends to visit Canada, NYC, Pangasinan and Ozamis! (I wish it could be that easy, who knows.)
In addition to that, my travel buddy and I, who have not travelled for the past years, are now considering getting lost in someplace new again.
WOW!!!
As of this writing, I have scheduled lunch with two friends separately this week, and I have booked a flight to Ozamis in a few months. (Spell EXCITED.)
Friend, life is happening right now, right in front of you. Remember that there is more to life than going to work every morning, going home every night, and watching TV on weekends.
At the end of the day, when we face God in heaven, I don't think He would ask how many hours we've spent overtime. But rather, He would ask how many lives we have touched, brought closer to Him, and inspired in your own little ways.
I am ending this post with a prayer I posted on my Facebook account this morning.
My Birthday Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for my beautiful life. I am giving you my life and my gift. Use it to bless many. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Thank You!
To all my friends and family, thank you very much for making my 33rd truly a meaningful one. Do not let each day be just like another day. The best is yet to come. Cheers!
