Malfunction

Recently, Deric and I realised that our bedroom air conditioner hasn’t been working like it should. And then, earlier this week, our microwave started giving out alarmingly loud grinding noises whenever we had it running.

So inevitably, the time has come to get some repairs and maintenance work done for both these home appliances.

I remember saying in the past (I think it was on Twitter) that some of the indicators of the passing of time include children (because they grow up so quickly) and music (years are so clearly delineated by the music that came out of them).

I guess I’d like to add a third item to the list and that would be the wear and tear of physical belongings.

In my mind, it seems like it was just yesterday that Deric and I began our journey into married life. But the reality is that it’s coming to 2 years now. It’s really cliche to say this, but time indeed flies.

Seeing appliances in the home slowly start to dip in their performance – with some ultimately failing and needing replacement – just shows how much time has actually gone by. It’s amazing.

It’s in moments of realisation like this that I stop to ponder where I am at in life right now. And how much I’ve been through over the past 2 years since being wed. So much has happened.

And yet, I’d not say that I’d want to turn back the clock or anything like that. I think I am content just to be here, to have survived thus far. There are things that I have savoured, and others that I have merely endured. Either way, it’s all in the past now and I only have what’s ahead to contend with.

What I fear and dread far more than having to fork out cash to replace failing appliances and other worn-out belongings is losing people. In death. In distance. In differences. In disputes. In all these things and more.

Some of these outcomes are within my control, but often times, I think a lot of it is not.

Each of us makes decisions on these things as we wade through life. Our priorities dictate where our focus lies. It’s unavoidable, I guess, that in these later parts of our lives, choices need to be made where our time is spent due to the limited quantities of it that we have and the waning bouts of energy we maintain after the best of our hours are spent slaving away at a job that’s required to earn our keep.

For instance, I will often decide to prioritise time for my immediate family or for Deric over time that I spend with friends, or for church, or anything else for that matter. And if/when children come into the picture, I will then have to dedicate my time to them first and foremost, and then to the rest of the world afterwards (assuming I have energy left to spare).

It’s just the realities of life, I suppose. Practically speaking, there’s only so much I can handle. Just as there’s only so long a home appliance can function before it starts to show signs of aging.

But it leaves a lot to be thought over. And I’d rather consciously make these decisions now than just let things unfold and then live to regret it later.

So as we work towards sending off our microwave for awhile and fret over what alternatives we are left with now that we lack the ability to reheat food swiftly on a whim, I will wrestle with these thoughts. And hope to always make the best out of each situation, and to look back someday and be proud of all that has transpired.