11 February 2025
My life routine abroad focused on weekday work, travel, and food on weekends. It was the work-life balance that I always wanted. When I returned home, I seemed to struggle to pursue my past habits, especially when I started working from home and accepting different projects. I never thought it would be this difficult, contrary to what I had expected back then. It is more difficult to achieve a work-life balance this time when working from home, knowing that I have deadlines to catch up. Facing the four corners of my desktop daily is exhausting and mundane.
Since I can't travel to places I like, I find ways to take a break from my mundane routine by visiting cafes and restaurants in my hometown. One afternoon, I invited some of my siblings and my niece to visit a cafe that was on top of the recommendations I saw online. Our hometown doesn't have fancy cafes, so I didn't expect much from this cafe. The cafe had open spaces the last time I passed by, so diners were visible from the road. It is now closed with air conditioning, which I prefer given the hot weather in our country.
As mentioned above, I don't want to expect much about this cafe. When we got in, I noticed the simplicity of its interior, with a green tropical wallpaper on the left and wood tables and chairs. There were no other diners, so we owned the place for a moment. This cafe offers take-out and delivery services daily, so some customers were dropping by to pick up their orders.
What caught my attention were framed paintings on the wall featuring scenic views and cozy settings. I like art, which is what I always look for when entering a new place.
We occupied the corner table as it has a better window view. My niece, Breiana, noticed the ice cream freezer and immediately rushed to get one. It was as if everything inside was free, lol. This kid's top favorite is ice cream, so she would always request to buy one every time we were in the town or city.
Although I don't like her eating too much sweets, we can't help it because she's noisy inside the cafe, lol.
We were supposed to order pizza, but all varieties were unavailable. So, I just ordered a clubhouse sandwich with fries and sweet and sour chicken. My niece's second favorite food is potato fries, and she finished a plate! Can you imagine that? She didn't touch the sandwich, just the fries.
The next orders to arrive were the pearl teas. Although it wasn't for kids, she loved to try. She's up for anything enticing for her.
We ordered more fries because we love it, too, not just our niece. I should say our family loves eating fries, hehe.
We shared the food over laughter and had good conversations. It was more than just a meal but a moment of connection, warmth, and joy. We are living under the same roof but seldom have such a bond.
A bond like this reminds us of what truly matters. We put aside our worries and stress at work and be present, throw jokes, reminisce about good old times, and create new memories. So, despite our busy lives, let's take time to get together with our loved ones, eat, laugh, and reconnect.
Thanks for your time.
Jane is a Filipina wanderer in a foreign land who finds comfort in nature and freedom in writing. She loves watching raw picturesque landscapes, listening to the symphony of nature, breathing in drops of sunshine, walking through scenic trails and cityscapes, tasting new culinary flavors, capturing pretty little things, venturing into hidden gems, and dancing with the flow of life.
Her new experiences, adventures, challenges, lessons, small successes, and joys are colorful paints that fill up her canvas of life. She hopes to see it beautifully painted while she can. Join her on her quest for self-discovery and wanderlust. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, drop a comment, reblog, and follow for more wonderful adventures.
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