These are the following supports that are essential to my daily life. My family, friends and environment has great influence in my daily living.
My social and emotional support
My family support means a lot to me. No matter what challenges or problems I have at work or in my life, I know that everything will turn out great because I have them. My husband and children listen, understand and help me see things in a different perspective. They also respect my decisions whether it is different from theirs. I appreciate every little things that they do to help me out, whether it be small things, such as putting their clothes in the hamper, help cut vegetables, set-up table or put things away where it should be makes me very happy and inspired me throughout the day. Little things make me happy. It means they care about our home and they care about me. I always tell them that every little thing they do to help out will be make a big difference in someone’s life.
My friends who are always there to listen, make me laugh, share and enjoy their wonderful experiences, makes me realize that I need worry because they will always be there when I needed them. These people provide social and emotional support when things get rough and guides me through my decision making process.
Every day of my life, when I wake up until I go to sleep, I think about the people around me who have been good to me and supportive of me throughout the day. I could not imagine not having them in my life and I am thankful everyday for having them.
My Practical and Physical Support
With the current economic situation, I am also thankful that my husband and I have a job. It is essential for us, so we can provide the basic needs for our children such as food, shelter and clothing. We can also provide essential things that will make us live comfortably and secured. This includes education, medical care and transportation for the family.
Challenges without these supports
When my husband retired from the military, he was not employed right away. Fortunately, we still have little savings from our tax refund. We need not worry for a few months because we can still pay for our mortgage in the house and buy food for our children. He finally got the job but was not paying enough to cover for our bills. After a few months, he lost his job again. We have used up his Thrift Savings Plan and we manage to survive for a few months. During these times, the support of our friends and relatives has poured in telling us that everything will be alright. Though we know that everything will not be alright without the monetary or practical and physical support, we manage to convince our own selves that everything will turn out great for us. The support from our friends were overwhelming and inspiring that we continue to hope and have positive outlook in life. Though we worry that next month or the month after, we will loss our house and our self-esteem knowing that we could no longer provide for our children. My husband loss his confidence in himself but I manage to convince him to keep on trying and keep on applying for a job. It took a toll on me too but manages to keep it within myself. I get to talk to my friends just to release some of the stress and just by talking to them, I was able to gather strength and hope that we will get through these challenge. When our funds are about to turn negative zero, my spouse employment opportunity came pouring. Now his concerns become positive - deciding what job opportunity to choose.
With this experience, I reflect upon the importance of all the support around us. I have come to realize that these supports are interconnected with each other. It really makes a big impact on our future and without it, life can be tough.
