Looking Out 23.7.23

Give Until It Hurts!

It has been four years since my Dad passed away on 26 July, 2019. As he moved physically further and further away from my life on earth, I actually could see more clearly his fingerprints on many aspects of my life, especially my character. My parents raised seven children during and after WWII. It was a time of limited resources, both in the wider community and in my family. With so many mouths to feed, I can imagine the stress and struggles they had gone through. None of us had the luxury of having our own wardrobe or stationery when we were children. We shared everything and passed down clothes even when they were tattered. In time, I learned about sharing, conserving and pulling resources together for the common good. I also remember one particular way that my Dad did to teach me to share. From the time when I was in Primary 4 or 5, Dad would give me ten Hong Kong dollars as a birthday gift. With this $10, I was required to buy one dozen pastries to share with the family. At that time, each pastry costed 30 cents, that meant after spending $3.6 on the pastries, I got to keep $6.4 for myself. As each year passed, I received $10 on my birthday with the same requirement. I probably got my last birthday gift from Dad when I was in my final year of high school. It was still $10, but the cost of pastries had doubled to 60 cents each. In other words, only $2.8 were left for myself after deducting the cost of the pastries. As my parents had kept us well, I didn’t have any particular need, and so I was fine with that. Now that I am a grandma and watch my grandchildren growing up in a world that is obsessed with possessions, I wonder if my Dad did that to me on purpose. He was a businessman; he certainly knew about inflation!  ‘Give until it hurts’----maybe that’s what my Dad wanted me to learn.

Chowai