Gratitude to My Father
My father is currently in his late 60s. Typical of most blue collared workers of his generation, his main priority was frequently centred around work. This is to ensure that the family was adequately provided for financially. Much of these efforts went into the provision of basic needs such as food, shelter and education for my siblings and I. Other than that, when the circumstances allowed, it also included that occasional short getaway to a neighbouring country.
Despite only seeing him in the evenings, or in the early hours of the morning, some of my fathers’ parental approaches during my formative years were instrumental in shaping part of my perspectives and world views later on. One of it was not allowing my siblings and myself to watch TV programmes throughout the early childhood phase (about ten to eleven years). Instead, quite a fair bit of time was channelled towards exposing us to sports and the arts beyond the usual school setting. Although school work and examinations had their priority, more emphasis seemed to be placed on activities beyond school rather than having excellent grades. As such, when we became older, it was quite normal for us to continue participating and exploring different forms of arts including music and dance. We were given freedom to paint the walls in our rooms to whatever we liked as well.
As I travelled frequently for work in the past, sometimes leaving home at odd hours for the airport, my father would also frequently accompany me by helping me with the luggage and waiting together for the taxi for pickup. On one occasion, a taxi driver asked who this person was. After I shared my answer, he was surprised and commented loosely in Mandarin, “Wah, very good. Still accompany you”. It was one of those moments that I realized deeper about the unconditional care and concern of a parent.
Long before the days when keywords like recycling, upcycling, repurposing became trending and popular, I think my father was already practising these in our daily living. Perhaps, the living circumstances contributed to it, but in my memory, whenever there were some minor cracks, split or repair works, he is always able to devise a way to sort it out effectively so that there is no need to get a replacement item. In recent years, he had also pick up a pseudo hobby of repairing fans as long as they are not of the remote-control electric type. Fans thrown away by neighbours were given a second life. The “repaired” fans were then given to neighbourhood friends who needed it. Sometimes they were donated to the neighbourhood grassroot care collective centre which in turn were given to those who needed a basic fan that works. From him, I learnt much about repurposing and the creation of less waste.
On this fathers’ day, I wish to pay gratitude and thank my father for all the unconditional care, guidance and wish him good health and happiness!
Penned by Leow PS (19Z124E)