I have this picture of myself and my Nanay Tessie in grade school. Nanay Tessie was beaming with pride as she pinned a medal on me as an honor student in Grade 1. That was the first and the last time she went up on stage my whole grade school years. The next time my mom would go up on stage was when I graduated from high school with second highest honors. My Nanay was very, very proud that day. And it felt really, really good.
There are things that we prepare long and hard for. We work very hard to make sure we attain what we’re working for. Yet sometimes, what we wish to accomplish doesn’t happen. Some important elements didn’t happen on time, certain key people failed to provide support, something unexpected happens and things don’t go as planned.
When things don’t happen as we expect, all we can say is that the time just not ripe.
In a company I used to work for, we had a senior executive who in his late 50’s was quite an energetic guy. He was always up and about, and his minds was very active. He was the kind of guy that we thought would be still working in the company even way into his 70’s.
One day he didn’t report for work. He felt very sick and had to go to the doctor. We found out that on that same day he was confined in the hospital. News leaked out eventually that he had advanced-stage cancer. Just few days later, he was no longer accepting visitors. Within 2 weeks he was dead.
I had a very challenging schedule a few weeks ago. I had a full schedule at work during the workweek, spending a few hours overtime on certain days. I also had to do some writing on the side, which I tried to fit in every opportunity. Then during the weekend, I had to do a video shoot for this video blog, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And then on Sunday I had to go and preach in a church. Then I was back to work on Monday. That was a very hectic week. But very fulfilling.
I love mangoes. I love the sweetness of Philippine mango most especially. There is nothing like it among all other fruits that you find anywhere in the world. But I only want to eat it when it has ripened at the right time. Whe forced to ripen before the right tiime, it would be sour and it spoils the joy of eating mangoes. Mangoes are best eaten when they have been allowed to ripen in its own time.
A well known person died recently. This person has had a great life, she has accomplished so many things and has helped and inspired so many people. Having reached old age, and very close to death she worried about her legacy. A friend of hers, with deep knowledge of the Bible assured her that there was nothing to worry about.
But what brought a twinkle in her eye was when her friend told her that she will see her mother again.
There was this cute video that spread on social media about this social experiment on small kids being offered marshmallows. And there was a twist. A child could have one marshmallow immediately, but he or she could have two if he or she waited for a while as the researcher stepped out until his return. Some children couldn’t wait and gobbled up the marshmallow immediately. But other kids really tried very hard to resist eating the marshmallow, eager to have the extra two promised them.
There is colloquial term that I often hear from people when they do something wrong. They’d say “Tao lang.” I’m only human. It’s good because in a way it is an admission that as a person one is bound to make mistakes. But it also sounds to me like an excuse, and that the person who says this doesn’t really want to own up to his mistakes.
