The Tea Lady
Is it true that the more money you make, the greedier you become and the more sorrows you have?
My company employs a tea lady, whose job is cleaning the entire two-floor office, making coffee and tea (mostly for the CEO) and taking care of the daily supply of refreshments. At least once a week she brings me food that she either cooked herself or got from her friends as leftovers. One time it’s cookies and cakes, other time fried rice for breakfast, the variety is endless.
She always offers me to have some of her food and I never refuse, partly because I would feel rude in doing so and partly because I’m normally hungry. And when I finish the plate of whatever food it is, she smiles gratefully, thanking me for eating it and then takes the plate to wash it. It’s amazing. She makes the least money compared to anyone else in the company, far less than even the entry level employee. And yet, she’s the most generous person. It’s not fancy food, but very simple home-made dishes; it’s the gesture that counts so much more.
Whenever I go abroad, I always try to bring something back for her. A bag of traditional snacks from Jakarta, chocolate from Holland, something to return her kindness. Perhaps she sees me as a daughter: her own daughter lives in a village in East Java and she hasn’t seen her for over a year now, whereas my mom lives on the other side of the globe and I was lucky that she could visit me last February.
Perhaps she feels that we should stick to each other because we’re both from Indonesia. To give you a background story: many Indonesians do low-paying jobs here (maids, construction workers, cleaners, restaurant and shop helpers) and as such, many Malaysians look down upon them. We speak “our” bahasa to each other, we talk about life and about how thankful she is for being able to work in Malaysia so she could send her daughter to university and wire money to her every month.
She lowers herself and bows her head to show humility when walking past my boss; a motion that is so deeply ingrained in Indonesian servants to show respect to the hierarchy they are subjected to. It’s intriguing to see this trait crossing the borders of my lovely archipelago.
This morning we had a chat, following from the fact that she had again brought me cakes (taking one for herself and giving two to me). I thanked her for her generosity, remembered at once what my mom always says: “those who are generous, will have wealth flowing in, whereas those who always guard their money, will endure financial hardship.”
This sweet tea lady, whose sole purpose in life is to survive and provide for her family, is happy with what she has and grateful to God for what she has. This sweet tea lady makes me wonder. Does money provide happiness?
Why is it that so many people out there work their asses off only to make money and more money and save up the money? What are they doing it for? My grandparents worked hard their entire lives, day in day out every single day again and again. I think they went on holiday once. Then they passed away, without having the chance to even enjoy a penny of their earnings. And after their deaths, the entire inheritance was the immediate cause of a major family dispute that lasted for years and ruined the relationship amongst siblings. So again, what are you doing it for?
You see smiling faces in remote villages, where huts are made of bamboo and water comes out of a well. These people do not own much but they live a happy life. I wonder how. You see burnout patients going for a daily therapy or stressed out men in suits ever so busy talking on their mobiles and going from one appointment to the other. I wonder how.
I am convinced that money makes it easier for people to achieve what they desire in life – those who say differently are big fat liars. But maybe people always want more and more and are never satisfied with what they have. And thus they want to have more and more money to realize the ever-increasing objectives, the craving for the impossible. Or do we need more money because the world that we live in costs more and more everyday?
Whatever it is, the sweet tea lady does not know the difference. She will always rise at five in the morning to cook for her husband, catch the bus to work, duly perform her duties and go back home thinking that it has been another day of earnings that she could use to support her family. As she has done for almost her entire life. And oftentimes, she makes cookies and brings them to work for me.
And I, I will forever wonder…
She always offers me to have some of her food and I never refuse, partly because I would feel rude in doing so and partly because I’m normally hungry. And when I finish the plate of whatever food it is, she smiles gratefully, thanking me for eating it and then takes the plate to wash it. It’s amazing. She makes the least money compared to anyone else in the company, far less than even the entry level employee. And yet, she’s the most generous person. It’s not fancy food, but very simple home-made dishes; it’s the gesture that counts so much more.
Whenever I go abroad, I always try to bring something back for her. A bag of traditional snacks from Jakarta, chocolate from Holland, something to return her kindness. Perhaps she sees me as a daughter: her own daughter lives in a village in East Java and she hasn’t seen her for over a year now, whereas my mom lives on the other side of the globe and I was lucky that she could visit me last February.
Perhaps she feels that we should stick to each other because we’re both from Indonesia. To give you a background story: many Indonesians do low-paying jobs here (maids, construction workers, cleaners, restaurant and shop helpers) and as such, many Malaysians look down upon them. We speak “our” bahasa to each other, we talk about life and about how thankful she is for being able to work in Malaysia so she could send her daughter to university and wire money to her every month.
She lowers herself and bows her head to show humility when walking past my boss; a motion that is so deeply ingrained in Indonesian servants to show respect to the hierarchy they are subjected to. It’s intriguing to see this trait crossing the borders of my lovely archipelago.
This morning we had a chat, following from the fact that she had again brought me cakes (taking one for herself and giving two to me). I thanked her for her generosity, remembered at once what my mom always says: “those who are generous, will have wealth flowing in, whereas those who always guard their money, will endure financial hardship.”
This sweet tea lady, whose sole purpose in life is to survive and provide for her family, is happy with what she has and grateful to God for what she has. This sweet tea lady makes me wonder. Does money provide happiness?
Why is it that so many people out there work their asses off only to make money and more money and save up the money? What are they doing it for? My grandparents worked hard their entire lives, day in day out every single day again and again. I think they went on holiday once. Then they passed away, without having the chance to even enjoy a penny of their earnings. And after their deaths, the entire inheritance was the immediate cause of a major family dispute that lasted for years and ruined the relationship amongst siblings. So again, what are you doing it for?
You see smiling faces in remote villages, where huts are made of bamboo and water comes out of a well. These people do not own much but they live a happy life. I wonder how. You see burnout patients going for a daily therapy or stressed out men in suits ever so busy talking on their mobiles and going from one appointment to the other. I wonder how.
I am convinced that money makes it easier for people to achieve what they desire in life – those who say differently are big fat liars. But maybe people always want more and more and are never satisfied with what they have. And thus they want to have more and more money to realize the ever-increasing objectives, the craving for the impossible. Or do we need more money because the world that we live in costs more and more everyday?
Whatever it is, the sweet tea lady does not know the difference. She will always rise at five in the morning to cook for her husband, catch the bus to work, duly perform her duties and go back home thinking that it has been another day of earnings that she could use to support her family. As she has done for almost her entire life. And oftentimes, she makes cookies and brings them to work for me.
And I, I will forever wonder…
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1 comment:
I suppose some thinks the lesser the money, lesser greed, lesser worry, hence more chances of happiness?
But I'd still want more money, so there's less financial worry and I can travel and be happy~!
I think it's up to the individual's characteristics as well - I know you know who~
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