I Wish I'd Done This

4th November 2022

Sometimes we wish we could turn back the clock and go back in time to do things we regret not doing. And sometimes those things appear in our dreams, making us regret them even more. Or are we simply missing some moments?

I had a dream about my mother and my siblings the other night. We appeared to be in a small room in my dream, but there were several items packed in bags and boxes that seemed to occupy the larger space of the room, leaving us with a smaller space to sleep at night. Later, my mother advised us to throw some things away, particularly the old ones, so that we could have more space. The odd thing was that other things seemed to decompose over time. My dream was altered to a different setting, but it eventually faded from my memory.

I couldn't figure out what it meant. But I guess my dream is telling me that we have a large family and need more space, lol. Our house is now larger, large enough to provide us with separate sleeping areas. Throwing out unnecessary items probably reminded me to declutter my belongings here in Hong Kong. Because, while I've been telling myself to declutter my room, I rarely have enough time to do so during my holidays because I prefer to sleep longer. I'm sure I'd organize everything once I switched over to winter clothes in my closet. Even though it's already autumn, I'm still wearing my summer clothes. I'll wait for the temperature to drop further before changing my closet.

I suddenly missed my mother and our home as a result of my dream. I missed cleaning and organizing our home. I missed reprimanding my younger siblings for being disobedient, lol. But if there's one thing I wish I have done before I left home, that is probably to hug my family, especially my mother.

I am not a showy person when it comes to my feelings and emotions, and I dislike things like hugs and kisses from family members. But, as the saying goes, "distance makes the heart grow fonder." I only realized how much I missed them as I stayed longer abroad. I missed binge-watching HBO movies with my siblings and singing karaoke with my family on weekends. I missed my father's loud voice. I yearned for my mother's cooking. I missed our home sweet home.

Being separated from my family for long years was the most challenging thing I have done. I'm used to living independently away from home, but being out of the country is too much of a change. At least in my country, I can simply return home whenever I miss my family, as opposed to abroad, where it takes years and some paperwork before I can take a vacation. I used to live alone, but being so far away from my parents feels strange.

I recently watched a scene from a Filipino TV series that I enjoy watching, and it conveys the importance of doing what makes you happy and showing love to your loved ones when you have the opportunity, because we never know what will happen tomorrow. Consider being trapped inside a room with no way out. A lot of realizations would undoubtedly hit you, and you would wonder if you would still be given the opportunity to see the outside world and your loved ones. It's certainly frustrating, and you'd feel helpless.

So, as much as you can spend time with your loved ones, make every day count. Don't be afraid to do things that make you happy. Don't be afraid to live your life and explore it. Because we can no longer turn back the hands of time. Furthermore, regrets always occur in the end.

This is just part of the Ask A Traveler series. Here are the questions for today.

What did you dream about last night?

Is there anything you wish you'd done before you left home?

What was the most challenging thing you've done?

Lead image from: https://unsplash.com/photos/PGnqT0rXWLs

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