I was stuck in traffic and noticed an almost Empty Tank. Oh no! This does not happen. I don’t let this kind of thing to happen. Add the fact that for the last couple of weeks, I was frantic that the car I was driving is at its filthiest. These are signs – that I have been remiss with some basic stuff that are otherwise always ‘in order’.

How I wish life also has all sorts of gauge right in front of our face every day, reminding us which ones need refilling, which ones need calibration, which ones need adjustments.

An audiometer to measure how much we listen to our body as it screams that we slow down and rest.

A chronometer to tell us how much time we waste doing things that are superficial.

A disdrometer to count the raindrops of blessings we receive everyday.

A heliometer to indicate the angular separation between ourselves and the people who matter most in our life.

A profilometer to indicate the sometimes roughness of our words and actions.

A spectrometer to see if we are emitting the right amount of brightness as bearer of hope and positivity to people.

As I stopped at the gas station and have the fuel refilled, I had a quick check which parts of my life need refilling. I thought of few.

To continue the journey – Stop. Refill. Move on.

I stare at this beautiful gift given by a bunch of four kids who hold a special place in my heart and remembered one of the most famous quotes of Nobel Prize and Oscar-winning playwright, George Bernard Shaw.

He said, ‘Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.’

Sometimes, we spend so much time finding ourselves in the midst of the crowd, in the midst of many options and choices, in the midst of crossroads, in the midst of endless search of what seemed to be the one that will give more and deeper meaning to our existence. Only to find, in the end, that we are still lost.

Today, this cute little gift has reminded me that I have already been found. A long time ago, forty years ago, from the first heartbeat inside my Mama’s womb. All I need to do is to continue creating myself, continue growing, continue doing what I am destined to do.

Another of Shaw’s word of wisdom says, ‘A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.’

We may have loved and lost, we may have tried and failed, we may have jumped and got broken, we may have said hello but later walked away, it is all part of creating ourselves. Our beautiful and genuine ‘self’.

May God, the Potter, continue to mold and hold us in His most loving hands, as we create ourselves, as our lives continue to turn on the Potter’s wheel, Amen.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Hobbiton movie set, used in the Lord of the Rings film series.

At the start of the tour, the guide repeatedly said that whilst we will see more than a dozen of hobbit holes, we will not be able to enter the doors.
She said that one of the most famous hobbit holes, Bag-end, where Bilbo Baggins live will be slightly opened, will show some interiors but, again, we will not be able to see what is inside.

The tour guide was able to set and manage the expectations of the tourists. She was able to tame down a possible breakdown, a sigh, a disappointment from die-hard fans of the film.

What she did was to transport us back to the scenes in the movie and allowed our imaginations to complete the whole Hobbiton experience.

As I took photos on the door of the different hobbit holes, I always wondered, ‘What’s on the other side?’

As the New Year starts, there are lots of new beginnings, new chapters, new doors right in front of us. Some are still totally closed, some are already slightly open. We often wonder and ask ourselves, ‘What’s on the other side?’.

If I make this choice, if I take this option, if I walk away from this relationship, if I say Yes to this, ‘What’s on the other side?’

May this New Year allow us not only to wonder what’s on the other side, but to give us the wisdom and courage to walk closely to the door and start the joyful journey.
And as we journey, may God hold us in His most caring hands, Amen.