Seasons of life

I seem to be going to a lot of baby showers recently. Either that, or I'll be visiting people who had just given birth in hospitals. It seems that this is the season where a lot of my friends are having children. Not too long ago, I'll be invited to a lot of wedding dinners. Seems like there's a season for everything.  If we divide a person's life into 4 seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter and place milestone events of one's life accordingly, we can see a closer relationship to what kind of seasons our lifestage is currently at.



Spring - In this phase, people are getting married. I was invited to a lot of wedding dinners a few years ago, so that must be the peak of the spring season. Interestingly, as I was married last year, I'm the last few people among my friends who are married; most had already been married a few year earlier than me. I doubt I'll be getting a lot more wedding invitation now. Maybe just the occasional once or twice a year, as the bulk of my friends had already tied the knot. Spring is filled with hope and anticipation, full of wonder as to what the new year might bring.

Summer - This is the phase that I'm currently at. Recently, I've been going in and out of KK hospital and buying gold bracelets / anklets for babies to celebrate their 1st month into the world. Some are already having their 2nd kid. Again, since I had a late spring, I'll likely have a late summer as well. I kind of expect more and more of such occasions until maybe 5 years later, where the reproduction system and the desire to have kids die of with the passage of time. Summer is filled with fun activities but also equally filled with sweat from the higher temperature. Everything is still sunny and bright.

Autumn - This is the phase where the children of my friends are getting married. It can also be the marriage of my own children. I'll extend the season to include the birth of grandchild. Obviously I'm not at that kind of age yet, so I've not attended a single such events at all. But I can see that my parents and my in-laws are already into the autumn season. Some just entered the autumn (children getting married) while others are deep into the season (birth of grandchild). Autumn has a tinge of melancholy amidst happiness, as the encroaching coldness and bitterness of winter draws near.

Winter - This is the phase where one is attending the funeral of your friends/spouse. I wonder how that will feel, with the pool of friends slowly diminished by the encroaching touch of death. Will it be scary, will it be lonely and will it be gloomy? Winter is cold and lonely, always wishing for the warmth of people around you.

But if there's no despairing winter, there won't be hopeful spring. Life is a cycle filled with seasons, isn't it? I think seasons can equally be applied to investing. I leave it to readers to draw a parallel between the two.