I learned quite a few lessons on life from …. an umbrella. Yes, an umbrella, an inanimated object.

The other day, I queued behind an umbrella. Yes, an umbrella, this inanimated object. I was queuing to take my child to see the doctor. Since that was our third visit and I didn’t want to spend the whole morning at the clinic again, I went to the clinic very early in the morning to queue…. behind an umbrella.

There I was bright and early, standing in queue behind an umbrella. How strange.

Lesson On Life #1: People aren’t always what they seem to be.ย 

The normal couple who was enjoying their breakfast nearby had thought it fit to put an umbrella as a stand-in for them in the queue. How very strange. Normal couple also made sure they managed to register first when the clinic doors were opened.

On that same day, it was raining heavily after school. We were dismayed to discover that we had left behind two big and lovely umbrellas at the school. We searched everywhere and asked around but of course, it could no longer be found – two such lovely and big umbrellas.

Lesson On Life #2: If you don’t take care of your own things, somebody else might just take it!

We asked the sweet foreign worker at the canteen. She said she had not seen our big and beautiful umbrellas but later on she managed to get us a battered and torn one to use. If she hadn’t we would have been stranded in the rain for longer.

Lesson On Life #3: Help comes in all sorts of disguises

Lesson On Life #4: If you ask for help, sometimes you will get it

Lesson On Life #5: Even though something is old and battered, it still has its uses

Now, let us travel back further. One day, it was raining cats and dogs and a lady who was desperate to get to her waiting child, asked me whether I had a spare umbrella. “How can I return this to you? I don’t know you.” she said. So I gave her my daughter’s name and class but she never returned it and I never saw her again. I presumed that she must have forgotten the information that I gave her.

“Mummy, why did you give away our umbrella? It is so wasteful. We bought it with money.” my children asked.

I told them that it is just a small thing and that we should try to help others in need whenever we could. It feels nice to help others. Besides she did say she would return it.

The funny thing is that even though she never returned it, very soon after, we got back 3 umbrellas in return.

I had won a prize at a contest and during the prize giving ย ceremony, we were given door gifts which included an umbrella. Somehow, I got the venue mixed up and arrived rather late for the prize presentation. As a result, there was a mix up and they forgot to call me on stage to receive my prize.

The organizers felt very bad and were very apologetic. They gave me my prize plus a few more door gifts including two more umbrellas!

I reminded my kids about….

Lesson On Life #6: If you give without expecting anything in return, sometimes you get back more than what you ask for. Give and you shall receive.

Well, that is the end of my long winded story. A result of 4 days missing from my blog. I am still feeling a bit drugged. I am currently taking the antibiotic Augmentin for my flu and it makes me feel floaty, nausea, and gastric. ๐Ÿ™


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