A Christmas Thank You

For the first time in months, Jia Qin sat alone at her small dining table in KL, sunlight spilling over her laptop, her tea, and the pastel bouquet she had just placed beside her that wrapped in creamy tones that made her room feel warmer than usual. She bought it for herself because she wanted to finally say thank you to herself.

It had been a difficult year, the kind where life felt like an endless balancing act. She was caring for her ageing mother in Penang, juggling work in KL, sending money home, and trying to keep up with the version of herself everyone expected her to be but somewhere in that routine, she stopped checking in with herself, until last week.

She had a moment of one of those quiet breakdowns you don’t talk about. Sitting in her car after a long day, realising she couldn’t remember the last time she did something kind for herself. Not big things, just small gestures that reminded her she mattered too.

So today, she booked same-day delivery from White On White, one of the best florists in Malaysia, and wrote a note addressed not to a friend, not to a partner, but to her own heart:

“You’ve survived everything you thought would break you.
Thank you for staying.”

Now, looking at the bouquet, Jia Qin felt something gently unwinding within her.

She touched one of the peach roses, its colour soft, hopeful and realised how long it had been since she allowed herself to feel softness. She inhaled the scent of the flowers and felt her breathing slow, like her body was finally being given permission to rest. It reminded her of something she kept forgetting: She was worth caring for too.

Later that evening, she placed the bouquet on her bedside table. Her mother video-called her, as she always did. When she noticed the flowers, her eyes lit up.

“Wah, so beautiful! Who gave you?” Jia Qin smiled. “Me. I gave myself.”

Her mother paused, then softened. “Good. You always take care of people, and you also must take care of yourself.” For once, Jia Qin didn’t brush it away. She accepted it and believed it. The flowers glowed softly in the warm light, a reminder that gratitude doesn’t always have to be for others. Sometimes the quietest, bravest gratitude is for yourself.