Today...I said 'thank you'

I never realised there are so many things I've taken for granted.

I never realised how blessed I am to have such loving parents.

I never realised at all.....

Yups, all these came to mind when I was having a shower just now. The conversation I had with a new staff during lunch came flashing in my head. She's a very nice girl who's just joined the company for a couple of weeks. You know the type - fresh grad, very sweet and timid.

Over lunch, she asked me all sorts of questions about my experiences and she was interested to pick up skills like networking, pr, public speaking, etc. She wanted to build up her confidence during this period.

Then it came to a part where she asked what my hobbies are. She also asked me if i played the piano. When i said 'yes', she got all excited and said, "Oh..then i'd love to go your house. I like pianos and i've always envied ppl who can play piano."

My reply was simple, "Oh, then don't you wanna learn?". And she said, "My mother never allowed us to learn".

For a while, I couldn't register that statement. It never occured to me that there are parents out there who do not allow their children to learn things they are interested in. And I realised how lucky i was.

When I was a kid, I never liked going for piano lessons, mainly because my teacher used to hit my hand with a ruler if I didn't cut my nails. I hated the constant drilling before a piano exam. I guess i hated the hours i had to spend practising and practising my pieces.

So, there was a time when dad and mum told me I could stop after sitting for my grade 1 theory and practical exams. And I was so thrilled.

Next thing I knew, I scored full marks for both exams. From then on, they managed to coax me into continuing. Believe me, I felt as if i was conned into it.

Now that I look back, I'm so glad they insisted on me continuing. I cannot imagine not having the skills to play songs i like when i feel like releasing my stress after a tiring day at work. I cannot imagine not being able to have my very own private time stroking the keys on my piano, singing my heart out.

I felt bad for thinking my parents forced me into something i didn't like at the time.

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During dinner with dad last night, I said thank you to him. He was surprised of course, and asked me why. I told him I'm thankful that he's always been so supportive and liberal in allowing us to do the things we like. I then told him about my colleague. He in return, gave me a warm smile which melted my heart.

It feels so good to express my feelings to him. Unfortunately in our conservative Asian culture, it's not everyday that we have heart-to-heart talks with our parents and tell them we love them. But i believe it can be done if we let down our emotional barriers. :)

So, have you told your loved ones how you feel today?