I Am an Icebreaker Part 1

"I'm the bitch you hated, filth infatuated (Yeah)

I'm the pain you tasted, fell intoxicated

Hey, hey, hey

I'm a fire starter, twisted fire starter

Hey, hey, hey

You're a fire starter, twisted fire starter

Hey, hey, hey"

Firestarter by The Prodigy

What greets me at 7.30 Saturday morning are twenty-six moaning, ranting, and complaining WhatsApp messages in my otherwise energetic vibe and positive mood. The pain and joy of living in Europe while most of your friends are in Asia is you are already behind in life even before your day gets started.

…I took a mid-career break to spend more time with my son. I home-school him. Now trying to get back into the workforce. It is never easy for women...we feel torn if we do not do a good job as a mother. But to do a good job as a mother, we cannot do a good job at work. So I picked motherhood for a while. But then try to go back after a few years break...the corporate world is not very forgiving or understanding.

I am relocating back to the US for this job – an opportunity like this does not happen often. My son is now in his teens. I do not see him except at dinnertime. Do you understand? You do, don't you? Can you give me back my deposit? I am a single parent…I have asked my friend to take over the flat for the remaining six months. It is an easy transfer. I will pay a couple of hundred to the estate agent. Sorted.  All good.

She is a troublemaker.

…what? She wants to deal directly with the new tenant and skip me? When she has trouble with the flat, the dishwasher, or the air conditioning, she comes to me. Now, she wants to get out of the contract, she is trying to skip my fee and deal directly with you and the new tenant? This is ridiculous.

You see, the market condition is getting better now. You could try to ask for higher rent and a longer contract. You are very kind-hearted. I need to look out for you so that you will not be taken advantage of.

Strictly speaking, she is not entitled to the break clause. It says if you get transferred back to your home country by the existing employer, you are entitled to it. As I understand she is offered a new job! The break clause should not apply. You should take her two months deposit!

I need to do the background check. You need to be sure the person who rents your flat is proper, right? Cannot simply rely on her words, right? RIGHT?

He is an angry avenger.

…this is sweet! Low rent, short-term, minimum agent fee. What a good friend!

She is a bargain hunter.

The troublemaker wants not to lose money.

The angry avenger wants to make more money.

The bargain hunter wants to save money.

Money. Money. Money. It is all about money. It makes three adults, one seasoned estate agent, one teacher and one banking highflyer argue on WhatsApp. Are people getting lower EQ? No. People nowadays are getting angrier, less tolerant and more irritated.

Like walking time bombs, a slight irritation will set them off straight away. Life is tough, money is hard to make, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, little hope, the world is getting warmer, the rain gets more relentless, drought happens over the green belt, fish is dying, coral reef is dying, AI is taking over, be careful of phone scams, be aware of deepfake, people are getting obese, people are starving, babies are dying in rubbles, babies are single parented, dogs are wearing clothes, dogs are going into shelters, young people are unemployed, elderly are living longer, there are male and female, there are also transgender, gender neutral, non-binary, agender, pangender, genderqueer, two-spirit, third gender, and all, none or a combination of these, 80 years old in power, narcissists, psychopaths progress in workplace, nepotism in corporate…

…and my flat is going to be empty. Invest in property, people say. It will make a good return, people say. House prices appreciate, people say. What they do not say is the stress that comes with it costs my peace. Now, I understand why Buddha let go of material possessions.

But I am no Buddha. I must be the icebreaker that clears the path forward, that solves problems and eases conflicts.

Take a deep breath, Angie, take a deep breath…be that icebreaker that you are so good at as icebreakers are rare these days.

#adayinajungle #icebreakerproblemsolver #money #worldnowadays