Hari Raya Haji with My Taxi Driver’s Family
Hasan, my taxi driver invited me to his house today to celebrate Hari Raya Haji. He lives just across the road from my apartment. At 10 a.m. his wife and almost-2-year-old daughter were waiting for me downstairs at their block and ushered me up to their home. They are no strangers to me because sometimes they accompany him when he fetches me or his other customers.
The phone in the house rang. When she’d hung up, she informed Hasan called and sent his apologies for not being there because he has customers. Public holidays are the best time for additional income, I remember he told me this some time ago.
I’m bowled over by the simplicity of their living space. No furniture—just a huge rattan mat, a television, a basket of toys, a toy car, a very simple kitchen, and a bedroom with mattresses on the floor. The wife kept apologizing for the lack of chairs to sit and table to dine on, but I told her not to worry about that at all.
I settled down on the floor and she immediately got to work in the kitchen to prepare the chicken curry and ketupat and nasi pulut for our Raya feast. She also asked if I like laksa and I said oh yes. She prepared that for me too. We all ate on the huge rattan floor mat. The TV was on so we watched the TV together, played with her daughter, and chatted over our food. It was a very enjoyable gathering.
Being in their home makes me realize how much material possessions I have. I am not rich and I don’t have a big house with expensive furniture, but I have enough. I may never be an expat (maybe not yet!) but when I do become one someday, I will be grateful for and appreciate everything I’m blessed with.
I’m blessed with a good taxi driver that sends me to work every weekday morning and whenever I need to go to the mall or some other places. Sometimes after work too if it rains. Initially I was thinking about getting a car but I’m glad I didn’t, because then I will not be able to contribute to the income of this family. Also, the other positive side of this is that I can continue to walk home after work as part of my fitness program. (Sometimes, he will honk from his taxi if he sees me walking by the roadside.)
Spending this morning with them also makes me reevaluate how I spend my money. I’m glad I have sort of stopped buying books on a whim. I want to make it a point to read the ones I have in my existing collection (I have more than 1,500 books in my personal library), and only buy those I absolutely must immediately read. If not, I can wait. When I stopped buying, I notice I started winning books from giveaways hosted by my lovely blogger friends. Over time, I want to increase the ratio of charitable spending and decrease the personal ones. I am already a supporter of World Wildlife Funds (WWF), Budimas, and several others, but I know I could do better. I need to get my finances right.
It’s amazing how people touch your life in ways you cannot imagine. We should all stop fussing about what we want and what we lack, and focus instead on what we do have and how we can help others.
SELAMAT HARI RAYA HAJI to all my Muslim friends!
