Yesterday we were walking about Pavilion when we came across a small train track they set up in the middle of the mall. Fighter was really excited when he saw the train and kept saying “Sit ! Sit! Sit!”.
Shorty suggested that I take him for a ride. A ride that would cost RM5 per head.
I didn’t think it was worth it at first because in the next week we’ll be going to Hong Kong Disneyland and we’ll be sitting on many of these rides for free. I resisted at first but Shorty pushed me on and said “It’s okay, let this be a trial run”.
I reluctantly agreed and carried a very excited Fighter to the entrance of the ride. The attendant then quoted me RM10. It was RM5 PER HEAD and Fighter and me count as one each. I pulled out my wallet and handed over the RM10 thinking this is probably going to be the fastest RM10 I’ve spent in a while.
Fighter was oblivious to the whole thing of course. He hasn’t come to terms with the concept of money or buying, having once almost “shoplifting” something from a store. All there was in Fighter’s eyes was excitement. Pure excitement that he was about to have another ride.
Fighter sat inside the train and as the train started moving he shrieked in excitement. He then grabbed the mini steering wheel in front to pretend to be driving it. The next minute or I saw nothing but bliss in his eyes. I knew that this ride… had totally made his day.
As I was seeing all this on the train I thought about how my wife made the right decision by pushing me to bring him on the ride. Life isn’t always about getting the best deal. Sometimes it’s about letting loose, spending money if you know it will make someone happy. RM10 is not a huge amount of money to an adult, but it bought a sail boat load of happiness for Fighter.
After slightly over a minute my RM10 was up. The train stopped at the station and Fighter panicked. Wanting to make the train go further he started spinning the mini steering wheel frantically but that clearly didn’t work. He cried when I carried him out of the train but even mommy felt that it was enough.
As I walked away from the train that day I reflected on the lesson my wife had taught me. To sometimes stop and smell the roses. To live in the moment.
If anything, that RM10 bought me this priceless video of Fighter being happy on the train.
This happy 9 seconds… was well worth every single cent and more.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space