I don’t have a specific approach to budgeting. After decades of managing a household, I have begun to understand how to determine priorities. The arrangements I make are as follows:
Set aside sufficient funds for basic necessities, electricity, etc.
Provide funds for social, religious, and other donations. I don’t set the maximum or minimum for this purpose. I listen to my conscience when spending money on donations.
I set aside most of my income for investments and to purchase valuable assets such as gold, real estate, land, and stocks. Over time, my budget for these investments has grown. My goal is to achieve financial freedom in my old age. I can also support my relatives and others.
What about you? Is that difficult to do budgeting?
In my opinion, budgeting is difficult if you are not disciplined. Discipline yourself so that budgeting becomes easy and achieves the desired target.
Patriotism encompasses a wide range of meanings. It involves a love for the homeland, a commitment to protecting it from division, the abuse of power, and the acceptance of immoral behavior. Additionally, it is essential to study global conditions to fairly evaluate the policies implemented by the government.
My country is currently facing challenges in escaping the middle-income trap. This is not an easy struggle. A patriotic citizen should support government policies to elevate the country’s standing in the global community. If you disagree with a policy, express it with logical opinions and use polite language.
I don’t like some opposition figures in my country who claim to be patriotic. But their speaking style is rude and inappropriate. It seems only their point of view is right. The others are wrong.
The journey won’t always be easy, but in the journey, we grow and change.
I just returned from an 8-day trip, starting from Jambi City, Pekanbaru, Siak, Bengkalis, Duri, Bukittinggi, Padang, and back to Jambi. That was not an easy trip for me and my husband.
How is my feeling right now? I feel confused. My trip started with explosive joy, but now my mind is full of many thoughts. I need to think and digest everything slowly.
I have experienced this type of fatigue before. This is part of my process for digesting information, which I will use to improve my life in the future. Below are the results of my reflections over several days of the trip:
My siblings, relatives, and the people I meet seem to be getting older and losing their joy in life. Their enthusiasm has been replaced by calmness or resignation, and they appear more tired. Perhaps I look that way to them as well. Am I?
The people I met showed a greater interest in waiting to hear other people’s perspectives. Unlike before, we no longer competed to share our life experiences first.
Meeting children and siblings that I initially thought could ease my anxiety has turned out not to be entirely true. Secretly, something got in and disturbed my mind, such as the lives of my children or my nephews in the future. Can they solve their problems well, not get frustrated easily, and not go crazy?
It seems that my nurturing side as an older person is exaggerated. This is dangerous, I think.
There are still many things that I have to digest slowly. I will get through this and find peace. I hope.
Nature is a place for humans to learn, and that concept has guided me for a long time. My husband often reminds me that not everything is suitable for me. I must filter what I see and selectively choose the good aspects to incorporate into my life.
Yes, I agree with him. I realize that I am not a special woman. I have limitations, but I also have preferences. I will follow the developments in the world regarding the things that interest me.
I like to learn. I admire the achievements of others, not because I want to imitate them, but because I want to learn and maybe apply their philosophy in other activities.
Like today’s experience, I went to an Arabica coffee farm on Sonsang Hill, a small village in West Sumatra Province. The height of the place is about 1100 meters above sea level. I drove the car uphill to reach the destination and continued on foot.
The journey was not easy, but I was enthusiastic. I was happy to see young coffee trees. They grow healthily. Some are already bearing fruit. The view below was nice and soothing.
Some of the lessons I learned today include:
Never stop dreaming of starting a personal project. The coffee farm belongs to my brother-in-law. He lives in Jakarta. Previously, he had so many problems. Finally, he found an opportunity to establish this coffee plantation. Good job.
The location of the plantation is on a hilltop. The difficulty of starting a plantation a year ago must have been very heavy. One must have a strong commitment to achieve success.
Not all efforts will yield results but don’t view it that way. After carefully assessing all the risks and working hard to achieve your goals, let God decide to grant you success. Currently, the price of coffee in the international market is high, and I pray that it will be like that forever so that my brother-in-law will profit from what he has done. But if the opposite happens, there is no need to despair. Try again and wait for the best results.
After the coffee plantation grows well, the surrounding farmers who previously refused to join in planting coffee now start to see it as a potential future business. Humans need good examples. My brother-in-law has set a good example for society. I think it’s a good contribution to the community in this village.
My mother was very creative with household matters. Her cooking was delicious, and her Lebaran cakes were famous throughout the neighborhood. She also enjoyed making handicrafts.
She was very diligent when she was my age. Even though we lived in different cities, I often asked her for help with cooking Rendang and Dendeng, which she would send to me in Jambi. While I can cook Rendang myself, her version is much more delicious.
I was a teenager when she asked me to make a hand-embroidered pillowcase, my first project with my mother. The pillowcase still existed far after she died. I am proud to have done that in between my duties and completing my education.
Although her education only reached the junior high school level, she diligently acquired skills by herself. My sister and I often joke that our mother was more clever than our father, who was a college graduate. It’s just that she didn’t have the same opportunity to attend college as he did.
It was my mother’s intelligence that was passed down to me. Thank you, Ma.
For some people, possessions are not for their own enjoyment. They might give them to others without thinking twice. They don’t expect anything in return or gratitude.
I refer to Sultan Syarif Kasim II of Siak Indrapura. I visited his palace during my trip for a reunion with my brother.
This sultan is known in Indonesian history for donating 13 million gulden to the Indonesian government at the beginning of independence.
His sense of nationalism must have been very high. However, was there another reason behind his decision?
This sultan inherited wealth from his father, the previous sultan. I saw the remains of the palace and luxury goods purchased from mainland Europe, especially the Netherlands, Germany, and France. In the early 1900s, only very wealthy families could bring in goods from abroad.
This sultan had no children as heirs. Perhaps, for this reason, he donated some of his wealth to the Indonesian struggle at the beginning of independence.
Another thing that convinced me that he no longer wanted wealth was that he also gave a crown full of diamonds to the Indonesian government in addition to the 13 million gulden and declared his sultanate was under the Indonesian government.
No sultanate in the world is quite like the Sultanate of Siak Indragiri, which willingly declared its submission without making any offers or seeking a bargaining position. The sultan even threw the key to the royal safe into the river to avoid any potential conflict within the family over the money and gold stored inside.
In his old age, the king lived a simple and quiet life in his palace. Long after his passing, the people of Siak continued to speak his name with great respect. Even I, not being from Siak, felt a sense of awe when I entered the old palace.
Those who have achieved a certain level of spirituality view money and wealth as ordinary aspects of life. Wealth is merely a tool, not the purpose of existence.
My dream home is simple. A home where I can feel at peace, surrounded by books and flowers, and where I can continue my work as a writer.
Occasionally, I can host extended family and friends and serve meals together while talking and laughing. The home should be beautiful enough and open to nature. From my bedroom and study, I can enjoy coffee or tea.
I hope my husband is not too loud when I need time. He should have enjoyable activities so we can connect while still enjoying each other.
I will store the happy news for some time, digest it, and absorb the happiness for as long as possible. After I feel satisfied, I will share the story with my family or closest friends.
The friend I share the news with must be a sincere person who will not be jealous of my happiness and will even pray for my success in the future.
I met my brother, his wife, and their family this afternoon. Just as we arrived last night from Jambi, they also got in from Padang. We agreed to meet in Pekanbaru.
Why did we meet in Pekanbaru? Because we promised to visit our other brother, who lives outside Pekanbaru.
Here is the reason for this reunion.
We want to visit our younger brother and see his life now. In the past, we had a dispute that strained our relationship. But now we intend to renew our bond as brothers.
We are no longer young. We recognize that any moment could be our last. It would be heartbreaking to part while still blaming each other.
In the past, we had hurt each other with words and acts. Now is the time to forgive and love again.
We have hurt each other with our words and actions in the past. Now is the time to forgive and love one another again. The more important is to remember that we were raised by the same parents and share the same blood than to focus on the conflicts and differences we’ve experienced.
My husband and I, and my brother and his wife after we prayed at the largest mosque in Pekan Baru City. We have chatted a lot.
Looks peaceful, right? That’s the beauty of silaturahim.
This writing is not about candy. It’s about how silaturrahim is important and encouraged in Islam. To bring sweetness to a sometimes bitter and harsh life.Silaturahmi can also prolong life and bring prosperity.
This morning, I will embark on a long journey from my hometown in Jambi to visit my child’s workplace in Riau, as he cannot come home. Afterward, I will do a pilgrimage to the graves of my parents and in-laws in West Sumatra. My husband and I will travel around 3 provinces for a week.
It is a tradition in Indonesia that before the fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims will make a pilgrimage to the graves of their family members or parents.
Though this is a physically tiring journey, visiting places full of sweet memories can hopefully revive the spirit of life. Take a break from tiring work.
I miss my Mom and Dad. Days before Ramadhan, that feeling is so intense. I could be sentimental talking and remembering them and my late little brother, Doli.
I also will meet with relatives who have not seen for a long time. Maybe many of our views are different, but I try not to be bothered by this. After all, we live our own lives.
I have prepared some tips to make the reunion enjoyable and leave a good impression.
Plan the trip well, including departure schedule, destination, and accommodation.
Inform the family about the trip plan so they are prepared to receive the visit. I bring souvenirs as a sign of love and attention to them.
Don’t get too tired, enjoy the scenery along the way
When meeting, listen to stories and show interest in their lives.
Share life experiences to strengthen the sense of brotherhood.
my thoughts on the environment, travel and life reflections 