How many lives will you change this year?

"Do you where you're going to?" - This is a line of famous song that I usually sing when I feel no where to go, when I feel stopped at something I want or I thought I should do.

Often times, life gets empty - that is like when you're playing Chess and You are CHECKMATE. When there are no more moves left. Then began the question 'WHY I am here?'. What is the purpose of my being? When life seems to get tougher and confusing.

I've really been there and at times still there and probably will be back there. However, optimistic as I am, I always find reason, a point, a step that could perhaps lead me to go on. And always, it's because, I know, many people need me, my family and probably some other people.

At the beginning of 2010, I felt the loneliest days of my life.I was alone, and I was trying to fight from all the sadness, emptiness, longingness Im feeling deep inside. Indeed, the whole 2010 was a big bunch of trials of my life. Maybe because I'm old enough to handle many things or because it's part of growth.

Now. It's mid 2011, not that lonely or sad anymore. I seem to find the reason to move on or to be strong or to look forward. The fact that a single smile from me could change somebody else's life. The hope that, by being strong I'll be abe to inspire the weak. The believe that I, as simple and ordinary as I am, could make a difference. I want to touch lives, to give hope, to bring light.


How about you? How many lives will you change this year? Is it for the better? How about in your lifetime, how many people will you touch?


x.o.x.o RoseHyacinth

good.Better.BEST

VERY GOOD! I remember when I was a toddler, every time i receive this praise phrase i was very very happy. Being good is a nice feeling and the addition of VERY makes the adjective good, way more pleasing. Then I found out that there is better. That better is way way more than just good. And it didn't end there, you are still not on top if you are just better and not the best. 

Good.Better.Best

never let it rest

until the good becomes better

and better becomes the BEST.

I am afraid to be called the bad one. All my life, I tried to be a good person, a good daughter, a good friend, a good sister, a good neighbor, a good student. I always strive to be good and I mean not just good but the best in everything I do, in everywhere I am. But life never failed to teach me that I could not please everyone. That no matter what, life will always have two faces, because after all, nobody is PERFECT.

So I began asking myself, Is it really worth it being good when I know that there would always be people who will think I'm bad? Yeah, and sometimes I do belong to that. Admittedly, sometimes or perhaps more often, people tend to be judgmental and I am included in that list of people. There was a point when I always compare myself to other people, to those around me and I end up, always I end up finding flaws in other people and lifting up my own chair just to boost me, to cover the bitterness perhaps.

Growing up is never easy. Never easy. But fortunately, I have or I believe, life has taught me golden lessons. First, never compare myself with other. My greatest competition is myself. As the words of desiderata said "there would always be a greater and a lesser person than I am. I am humbled seeing people on the street, homeless and pennyless because I know somehow even if I consider myself poor, I still have house to live. Whenever I see rich people, I shouldn't envy recalling those people in the street, I still feel fortunate. At times, I will feel big and at times I will feel small. Be good in myself, be better than myself and be the best I can be.  That the greatest thing is to remain humble in prosperity and keeping one's feet on the ground. 

Second, I do not have the right to judge others. It's a shame. When you judged as much as you don't want to be judged. At this point in my life, I figure out that each person I met or even I walked pass by have different stories, unique in every way. When I thought that my life story is great, I should never forget that other people think their life stories too are great. Each one of us have different threshold of happiness, pain, joy, sorrows, success and failure. I learned that before I get irritated with the woman who stepped on my foot in the MRT, I should consider that perhaps she is in a hurry due to a life and death situation. That at any point in time, I could be the one who stepped on someone's foot too. I learned a lot. I grew a lot. And I say, the golden rule "do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you" is really applicable in life if we just...  

Third, never complain. Simply never complain instead count my blessings. Yeah, the tendency is at the hardest times in our lives, we always ask "Why me?". But I discovered that I have been more than blessed to  complain at the few times I was down. It's a shame again. So now, before my mind cry out loud complains at tough times, Im diverting it  to those times I feel surreal, those times I feel very blessed. I did not complain when my father died during my last year in college even when I know that was his very dream to see his precious child with a college diploma, yes I was sad and asking but I never complained because I wouldnt have been in that 5th year of college if I wasnt blessed with scholarship, with generous people. Never complain, instead I counted my blessings.

Fourth, everything has to serve a purpose. Just as pigs are raised just to have pork meat to eat. I recalled when I was 5 or 6, I cried when our hog was slaughtered for the fiesta and remembered asking my grandfather "why do we have to feed them when in the end we'd kill them"  to which he smilingly replied "that served its purpose". Yes, everything has a purpose and everything that happened or is happening got to serve a purpose. It could be the purpose of what has been done before or there could be something more in that.All I believe is that in all I've been going through in the 23 years of my existence has its own purpose. The same as John 3:16, for God so love the world that He gave us His only son. Why would HE give His only begotten son? For us, because He loves us. 

Fifth, I cannot please everyone. So why do I go on being good knowing I could not please everyone? Simply because I only want to please SOMEONE. That someone who makes me someone too. The back end of my existence. I am SOMEone because of this SOMEONE and it's HIM I want to please so I keep doing GOOD, strive to be BETTER than who I am and hoping to be the BEST that I can be. IN HIS TIME not mine. IN HIS WAYS not mine.

I didn't not say lastly because, life still goes on, yeah, for me because I LIVE.

x.o.x.o

Note: Transferred from sfrohya blog.

barely there

While I was on my way the office one night being on a graveyard shift, I took my usual route that is - the MRT. Since it is gender segregated, I always go the ladies area where the first car of the train is. I noticed, while passing by  the guys area, that there are plenty of people waiting for the train to come. Well, primarily due to rush hour.


I usually position myself such that I always in that last door of the first car of the train. Approching the girls are, I saw a line of women. Then, I deduced, they formed this line to take turns in riding the train. Awkwardly, that was the only line. The other locations have no line. Thrilled by the thought of this disciplined act. I joined the line.


It took time before a train came in. People are staring at the line which was getting longer. I was ashamed at first on what people will say on us piling up in that UNUSUAL line but my righteous mind won. That was the right thing to do to show equality and fairness. Observing the flow of people while I'm waiting for my turn to ride the train, some woman opt to go to the other areas while some opted to join the line like me.

I just felt that, if only there is that one brave soul that would initiate, definitely someone would follow. I believe, the Filipinos always have wanted the change in our attitudes and practices. What I saw was an orderly system in taking turns to ride the train by forming a line. Isn't it amazing?


xoxo
ROseHYAcinth