This week, even though it was a holiday here on Monday and Tuesday for the carnival, we have been very busy. Next weekend, my son will be going on a trip to attend an event with a delegation from his school.
We haven't had any travel experience since the pandemic started. And this is the first time he will be traveling abroad without us as a minor. So we have also had to apply for a minor's travel permission.
We have been required to do a lot of paperwork and considering that even the simplest things in Venezuela are sometimes complicated. It has put us in a bit of a hurry. I have had to ask for more than one favor these days. The permission was the easiest because although the organizers of the trip have left a lot of things to the last minute, I must say that in the mayor's office where we had to do the paperwork, they have been very kind and have not put any obstacles in our way. They have helped us and facilitated the process even though we didn't have all the requirements on time. Here, we complain and rant when things don't work as we expect, so I think it is more than fair to praise those who do it well and go further and help to get things done.
So yesterday, when I got home exhausted, I was thinking that although I have always liked to help others and I do it whenever I can, without expecting them to return the favor. I have always found it hard to ask for help. And it's not because of a lack of humility or because I think I am self-sufficient. It's more because I'm introverted and shy, and yes, I like to be independent either. But the years and experience have taught me that it's okay to ask for help when we need it.
I think my difficulty in asking for help has a bit to do with the way I was raised and the environment I grew up in too. I was taught that I had to always try to fend for myself and be independent. But I see my son, that no one could say that he is not independent or that he has not tried to get ahead on his own. And yet he has no problem ever asking for help. He has a good group of friends and a great support network. And that's something that fills me with pride because I think that knowing how to recognize when we need someone else is a virtue.
Maybe for him, it's very natural because he grew up in a country that had to learn that having a circle of support was a fundamental condition for survival. When things got tough here in 2017 and 2018, the worst time of shortages. There were not only a shortage of basic products but also medicines and treatments. Getting sick was an ordeal because, in addition to the illness, there was the anguish of getting treatment and medication. The networks and support groups among friends and family were crucial to survive at that time.
Looking back on the situation we have been living in Venezuela for the last 20 years, not many good things have come out of it. But if anything good has come out, it is we learned, at least many of us, that we need to help each other and ask for help when needed to survive.
Accepting that at some point, we will need help to a greater or lesser extent is also part of the process of growing old. I'm terrified of dependency, but I've accepted that needing help sometimes and asking for it is OK.
The pictures have nothing to do with asking for help. I took them this morning while taking my husband to a recording studio. The plant of Maniguá caught my eyes. The husband can't drive, but he is getting back to his activities. I think that is a great help for him to feel better as he gets back to his normal routine.
I think that's my reflection for today. Thank you very much for reading.
March 3, 2022
