Calling

I’m writing this while waiting for my surgery, which will start in less than two hours. Because it’s happening later in the afternoon and recovery will take a while, maybe until midnight, I’m hitting publish now so this post doesn’t spill into tomorrow.

Today’s the big one. A joint surgery with two specialists: a digestive surgeon to remove my appendix and an obstetrician-gynecologic oncologist to remove my myoma and my womb. A combined surgery is naturally going to take longer than a single one, and the risks are a little higher. So before anything happens, let me just say… in case I don’t make it through this well, I’m sorry.

I’ve also decided to stop answering the same questions over and over about what’s wrong, why I’m here, and what procedure I’m having. Not because I don’t appreciate the concern, but because everything is already written here. If people truly want to know, they can read.

And honestly, the reactions I get aren’t always helpful. Some people end up being more panicked than me, and I’m the one on the operating table. So what’s the point? Keep your worries, don’t pass them to me. If you can’t bring calm, at least bring prayer. That’s more useful.

Speaking of calm… I’ve learned a lot about it from my husband. One of the most stoic people I’ve ever known, long before either of us even knew what Stoicism was. Focus on what you can control, the rest is just noise.

During our DATE session at church last Sunday, our leader asked something that fit perfectly with our sermon theme this month: life purpose. What’s your calling? After the leader gave an example, I volunteered to answer first, because the moment the question was asked, my answer came instantly.

I said my calling is to be an ezer kenegdo: a helper suitable for my partner, as written in Genesis 2:18. I even made it as main theme for my thesis to get my master degree in theology. Many interpret ezer kenegdo as just “companion” or “assistant.” But in Hebrew and in context, it’s far richer and carries far more responsibility.

Ezer kenegdo means a life partner who is strong, equal, wise, and brave. Not just present, but actively engaged in the struggle, vision, and growth together. One role of an ezer kenegdo is to bring calm and strength in difficult times. To offer safety and hope so the other doesn’t give up.

This past year especially, my husband has faced many hardships. Some people have misunderstood the things he’s had to do, overlooking all the good he’s done and tried to resolve. Some of them keep throwing rocks to him no matter how hard he fights for THEIR rights. They only see what they want to see, while he keeps his eyes fixed on the finish line so THEY can enjoy the prize.

I can testify my husband is a deeply good man. Pure-hearted. Not once has he intended harm. And if there were mistakes along the way, they were never born of malice. Only the kind that sprout from human imperfection, or from being seen through a distorted lens.

One day, when we’ve made it through this tunnel and stepped into the light, I’ll write everything down. That’s why I titled this blog The Diary of a CEO’s Wife, inspired by Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO.

If I wake up from surgery today, that is. I am honored that I’ve been the ezer kenegdo of the purest-hearted man I love deeply. And if I wake up in another universe, I’d choose to be his ezer kenegdo again and again.

As Viktor Frankl wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” So I’m walking into that operating room holding onto my purpose, my faith, and my peace. If you’ve read this far, take a moment to think about your own calling. Then, live it like you mean it.

Love,

Nuniek

Comments

Meeting Myself

Today was one of those Saturdays that felt full in the best way. I joined the Alphasmart Training Session as a Player, hosted by BWI , from 9 AM to 2 PM. Ten trainers and coaches were specially invited as VIP participants, and lucky me, I was one of them. Some of the participants were blogger friends I’ve known since the early days of blogging more than a decade ago, while others I met for the very first time. Every single one radiated positive vibes and genuinely good energy. The mission of the day was simple but huge: to meet the most important person in our lives: ourselves. Sounds a bit dramatic, right? But oh, it worked. For two and a half hours, we laughed, we cried, and sometimes we did both at the same time. My big “aha” moment came during my very first card draw: wisdom. At first, I was drawn to the picture of a library (because books, duh), but what I got was a conversation with myself about the meaning of wisdom itself. How reading other people’s thoughts in their book...

Saya Nuniek Tirta, bukan ((hanya)) seorang Istri Direktur

Catatan penting: untuk mencapai pemahaman penuh, mohon klik dan baca setiap tautan. Awalnya adalah pertanyaan . Membuahkan suatu jawaban . Diposting di akun pribadi, seperti yang biasa saya lakukan sejak hampir 15 tahun lalu , bahkan sebelum Mark Zuckerberg membuat Facebook. Jawaban yang juga autopost ke facebook itu menjadi viral, ketika direshare oleh lebih dari 20ribu orang, dengan emoticon lebih dari 38ribu, dan mengundang 700++ komentar. Kemudian menjalar liar, ketika portal-portal media online mengcopas ditambah clickbaits. Tidak ada media yang mewawancara saya terlebih dahulu ke saya kecuali satu media yang menghasilkan tulisan berkelas dengan data komprehensif ini . Well, ada juga yang sempat email ke saya untuk meminta wawancara, tapi belum sempat saya jawab, sudah menurunkan berita duluan selang sejam setelah saya posting foto di bustrans Jakarta . Selebihnya... Tidak ada yang konfirmasi terlebih d...

Industri Fashion dan Harga Jujur

Saat tulisan viral “Istri Direktur” sedang hangat2nya, di antara ratusan pesan yang masuk, saya menerima sebuah pesan pribadi dari follower Instagram . Tulisan panjang dalam Bahasa Inggris itu intinya mengatakan, bahwa dia juga seorang yang hemat namun tidak akan mau beli baju seharga 50ribu karena itu berarti tidak menghargai pekerja garmen lokal. Dia menyarankan saya meluangkan waktu untuk survey berapa upah para pekerja konveksi rumahan. Industri Fashion Kira2 begini deh ekspresi saya saat membaca pesan dan sarannya. Poker face. Ehehehe. Saya katakan terima kasih atas concernnya. Tapi tidak perlu mengajari saya berapa upah pekerja garmen lokal, sebab mama saya pernah menjadi bagian dari mereka. Ya, waktu saya kecil, mama saya adalah penjahit konveksi rumahan, sampai sakit maag karena lupa makan demi mengejar target borongan. Upahnya memang kecil, tapi cukuplah untuk membantu perekonomian keluarga. Tahun 2008 hingga 2010 saya juga sempat terjun ke industri fas...

Perawatan wajah dan cerita masa muda

Andaikata blog dan social media saya punya semacam FAQ (Frequently Asked Question, alias pertanyaan yang paling sering ditanyakan), sudah pasti di urutan pertama akan bertengger pertanyaan: "Pakai produk perawatan wajah apa?" Banyaaaakkk banget follower instagram / facebook / twitter saya yang nanya gitu, dan minta saya mengulasnya. Saya bilang sabar, tunggu tanggal mainnya. Tapi sebelum saya jawab pertanyaan itu, saya mau mengenang masa muda dulu ah.. Jadi begini cucuku... Waktu pertama kali ngeblog 15 tahun lalu , usia saya masih 21 (yak silakan dihitung usia saya sekarang berapa, pinterrrr). Jadi jangan heran kalo gaya bahasanya masih 4I_aY 4b3zzz.. (eh ga separah itu juga sih, hehe). Tapi ekspresi nulisku di masa-masa itu masih pure banget, nyaris tanpa filter. Jadi kalo dibaca lagi sampai sekarang pun masih berasa seru sendiri. Kayak lagi nonton film dokumenter pribadi. Kadang bikin ketawa ketiwi sendiri, kadang bikin mikir, kadang bi...

Tekad Hidup Lebih Sehat

Sabtu 6 Juli lalu, kami sekeluarga sedang terjebak kemacetan di tol menuju Bandung, ketika tiba-tiba papa mertua menelpon: mama mertua terkena serangan jantung, dan sempat hilang nafas sampai harus dipompa jantungnya! Langsung kami cari jalan keluar tol, putar balik menuju Jakarta. Ketika tiba di rumah sakit, beliau masih diisolasi di ruang ICCU dan belum boleh dijenguk. Kami baru bisa menjenguk beberapa jam kemudian, itupun hanya keluarga inti yang boleh masuk. Di ruang ICCU yang dingin itu, beliau tidak diperbolehkan bicara terlalu banyak, supaya jantungnya tidak bekerja terlalu keras. Tangan kanannya menggenggam tangan suamiku, tangan kirinya menggenggam tanganku, lalu berkata… “Ampuni mama ya, Mas…” “Ampuni mama ya, Mbak…” “Jaga pernikahan, yang rukun...” Beliau menangis, suamiku menangis, aku menahan tangis… sambil mengusap kening beliau dan bilang, “Mama pasti sembuh.. banyak sekali yang mendoakan mama.. yang penting mama semangat ya”. ...

Family Holiday at Club Med Bintan - Premium All Inclusive Resort

I just had family holiday at Club Med Bintan, on 14-17 December 2017. To be frankly honest, it was way more fun than I expected as a short weekday getaway. Definitely one of the best vacation that we ever had! Photo of us in Club Med Bintan by Sweet Escape Transportation from Jakarta to Bintan Island We flew on Thursday morning, 14 December by Garuda Indonesia from Terminal 3 Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Tanjung Pinang Raja Haji Fisabillah International Airport. It was scheduled to be boarding at 10:30 but unfortunately got delayed for about an hour, so we arrived at around 1pm. Transportation from Bintan airport to Bintan resort At Bintan airport, a driver was already waiting with a sign board "Club Med". We then continued the journey by car, an hour long road without traffic jam at all. Not much to see along the way, most of it was some kind of deserted areas. But when we entered Lagoi area, it is green everywhere I see. Arrival at ...

8 Tips Untuk Istri Agar Suami Tenang Bekerja

#nutsonduty Beberapa waktu lalu saya diundang sebagai pembicara untuk acara Penguatan Integritas Istri Pejabat dan Pegawai KPU Bea dan Cukai Tipe A Tanjung Priok, dengan topik "Istri Bersahaja, Suami Tenang Bekerja". Tim panitia yang diwakili oleh Mbak Umma mengatakan profil saya cocok untuk membahas topik tersebut, terlebih karena saya dikenal setelah konten viral "Istri Direktur" dengan ciri khas #SuperAffordableStyle :) Suami penasaran saya ngomong apa saja di sana. Setelah saya ceritakan, suami mendorong saya untuk menuangkan materi bicara saya tersebut ke dalam tulisan di blog, supaya bisa mencerahkan istri-istri lainnya :D Karena belum sempat, sudah beberapa kali ditagih nih :p Jadi, berikut inilah tulisannya ya... sekaligus dipersembahkan sebagai kado ulang tahun pernikahan kami akhir pekan lalu deh :) Terima kasih atas undangan berbicara di depan para istri pegawai KPU Bea dan Cukai Tipe A Tanjung Priok hari ini tentang "Istri Bers...

Year End Reflection Ritual : 2025 - 2026

I came across Mel Robbins’ year end reflection ritual, six questions she has been answering for the past twenty two years. Six questions sound harmless, almost cute. Like a magazine quiz that ends with “you are a sunflower.” But once I started answering them honestly, I realized this was not a personality test. This was an emotional audit. Let’s start with the hardest one. The low points of the year. There were some. Actually, quite plenty. I can say this without drama now, but 2025 has been my lowest year since 2013. That year taught me survival. This year tested endurance. One of the heaviest moments came quietly, from a place I never expected to reach our home. It felt like standing in the middle of a storm that wasn’t ours to begin with, yet somehow found us anyway. My husband chose to stay when it would have been easier to leave, to keep holding the bridge together so others could cross safely. Opportunities passed by, shiny and tempting, but he remained where he believed responsi...

What I Learned from Timothy Tiah - Founder of Nuffnang

Last Sunday when I entered VIP room at JWEF , I was introduced to this guy with his mini version boy on his lap, and his pretty wife with white top and red skirt. We had chit chat and he told me he’d be in Jakarta this Tuesday, and I told him that we’d have 57th #Startuplokal Monthly Meetup on Tuesday night. To be really honest, only a very few did I know about him until he shared his amazing story on JWEF stage a few minutes later, and get inspired that I took note and now share this with you all. Timothy Tiah founded Nuffnang with Cheo Ming Shen at 2006 when he was 22 years old, with 150k RM startup capital, partly borrowed from his father. He simply founded it because there’s nobody built it before, while the demand was actually there. The site was launched in February 2007. Sales ≠ cashflow On earlier years, although Nuffnang sales highrocketed, the cashflow was poor. At one point he only has 5k left in bank, while there were invoices need to be paid out urgently. He came to Hon...

Gathering Perdana Indonesia Lifestyle Digital Influencers

Apa sih influencers itu? Influencers adalah, menurut Thesaurus, orang-orang yang memiliki kemampuan mempengaruhi banyak orang, baik melalui media sosial maupun tradisional media. Dari sisi bisnis, seseorang dapat disebut influencer jika ia memiliki kemampuan untuk mempengaruhi keputusan seseorang dalam membeli sesuatu. Biasanya, influencer sering dimintai pendapat, arahan, ilmu, atau opini tentang suatu bidang. "True influence drives action, not just awareness". ~ Jay Baer ~ Tiga hari lalu, tulisan saya di Facebook pribadi menjadi viral dan dishare oleh lebih dari 18ribu orang, dengan lebih dari 33ribu emoticons. Tulisan itu lahir dari rasa tanggungjawab pribadi saya sebagai seorang lifestyle influencer (yang memang sering dibayar hanya untuk pamer), untuk mengedukasi para follower saya supaya tidak bergayahidup melampaui kemampuan (finansial) mereka, seperti yang telah saya tulis sebelumnya di sini . Beberapa portal mengcopy paste tulisan itu dan diber...

The Diary of a CEO's Wife

Search This Blog