“Can we afford a holiday?” We desire to have a holiday but we think twice or thrice the opportunity cost of having it. To you out there who are hesitant and apprehensive about having holidays, here’s what I would say to you, “Bite The Bullet! Go ahead, take that break and have a great holiday”.

“Bite the bullet” is used as a metaphor here. When one is afraid or apprehensive about taking an action seemingly negative to one’s better judgement, he would say, “I bit the bullet and did what I thought was right for my future and the future of my family.” A lady expat who leaves her native country to start a new life with her foreign husband and children may find herself ‘biting on the bullet’ to describe her migration. She knows everything about living in her native country and knows nothing about life in her husband’s. She must therefore be courageous as she is entering and discovering the unknown. She would have preferred to remain in her native land because life would be more predictable and manageable.

This phrase was however originally used as a common instruction to soldiers while getting treatment in the absence of anesthetics. “Bite this bullet” or “bite on this bullet” hence means endure pain with fortitude.

“Biting the bullet” eases pain but it does not work like medicine which heals the wounds and eventually drives the pain away. That is why, when it comes to taking holidays, especially a big one, people spend time pondering and planning, to include money they may have to spend, money that they have been saving up for months and years. For many, it is hard earned money and they do not think they can afford the holiday. For many others, it means leaving behind their jobs or businesses; for that short period of time they are away, they will not be working or earning money.

2009 will end and 2010 will come. “Bite the bullet. Go have a great holiday” even if it means having it locally.

Here’s a picture I took while I was laying on the grass at the South Coast beaches. I wondered what he was thinking at first. As I struggled to focus on the image with my 7 mega pixel camera, my mind dissolved into the distance seas that spread ahead. I thought, “How lucky am I to be here right now! To be able to see people enjoying this beautiful place. There is indeed no reason to go overseas for a big holiday.”