Your greens

"The grass is greener on the other side."

I say, it depends on your "greens" (grass). It's not just money. It could be love, peace, or self-worth.

My first post in 2026 brings my thoughts back to the time I moved to the Netherlands. Having lived in three countries (my own Philippines, Malaysia, and the Netherlands), this statement resonates often.

Love? Same in all places as I live with family. Money? I had more in my own country than elsewhere (my husband has more abroad). Peace? We have more abroad. Self-worth? This is my main issue. Maybe because I tied my identity to my career back in the Philippines.

Overseas, especially in the Netherlands, I have to appreciate the word "acceptance" more than ever. To be productive here means embracing your qualifications as a foreigner. To be valuable, you must know how to translate your time into meaningful work. And that means ANY unfamiliar and humbling work, yet also often rewarding. The daily grind is different if you want to experience a purposeful life that answers your "WHYs".

To this day, I am on the road to accepting what I vowed myself to do: to retire at 40 (which coincided with my husband's expatriation). But it is not a bejewelled path. I realized that I still want to do the things I used to do. However, it is now an elusive reality. Acceptance!

Late this year is my chapter 50 in the book called life. Believe it or not, I am at a standstill and at a crossroads. I listed down ideas on what to do for the coming years (church ministry, side job/business, travels, passion projects, etc.) I leave this list to the One who holds my future, as I strive to perform excellently what is given to me at the moment. For now, let me bask in and accept my current self-worth level while trying to materialize all that I had planned. One fine day, I will arrive at nearly 100% ('cause nothing is absolutely perfect).