Slow Week

Slow week need not be equated with a low week. For there are highlights - one borne of the mind and others felt deep within or more significantly etched inside the heart.

Taking a moment to reflect - this is what the season is all about. Lent.

Or has anyone lent their presence enough to someone? Like a cousin who needs just somebody to listen to her problems although she knows she can very well take on anything life throws at her? Still enough reason to lend an ear just to know that you understand how she is human after all. That despite passing through life's ordeals in a superhuman effort, she is still a mortal like us.

Or what about a loved one, say your guy who happily shares what goes on at work, who just wants your presence around as he talks about the exploits, at the same time hear some lamentations from his house not so much as to drag you into his problems but just to show that he just needs a willing ear and an open heart to once again listen, untiringly as an ardent lover should.

And what about the beleaguered friend of a sister, a wife who may or may not be a victim of an unfaithful husband. Still worth listening to her story however unfounded or justified it may be. And most importantly to cheer her on and show that she is not alone and that someone wishes them well.

Lent.. it's also about shoutouts of good things.. food cravings perhaps by a friend who may be feeling the pinch of inflation and bad economy or really bad employment opportunities or all of the above. Chatting about food, whether imagined or actually heating up in the oven is never a bad thing. For it warms not just the stomach but evokes moments of pleasurable experiences. Knowing these things exists, and that friends exist, then there are a lot to look forward to.

So you see, a slow week need not be a low week. And a Holy week need not be sad.. He would never allow us to feel that way, right? As the evening progresses and we are now closer to commemorating the hour of the Last Supper this Maundy Thursday, let us give a silent thanks to those who have been there for us and 'lent' us with their magnanimity, passion and spirit.

Is The Earth Really Dying?

The question was raised by recent events that seem to remind us about those age-old predictions, the Mayan calendar and others.. well it isn't even 2012 yet but somehow the catastrophes, the conflicts happening across the globe seem to hint at that possibility.

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble here but this is just a gut feel as one of my friends put it. It might even be preposterous and by end of 2012 we may all be laughing about the so-called end of the world as we know it. But it is not a laughing matter to see the sufferings across the globe.. from natural calamities and force of nature to man-made conflicts in the gulf area. And if only because of those things we can say that yes, the planet is probably terminally ill and may even be close to dying.

But so what if indeed it's ending? There's no reason to panic or feel afraid especially when one has lived a fulfilling life and explored all means to be happy consequences notwithstanding. At the end of the day, or should I say, at the end of the world, what matters is how much we have shared with others, how meaningful our relationships are and how many lives we have touched & how deeply we have loved.

That in essence will never die even if ultimately the earth as we know it does..

Pain Is Rather Good

we don't hear it often enough. but there is a certain kind of pain that is welcome..while not necessarily pleasant, somehow it evokes a feeling of being alive. Knowing that it exists is enough not to throw in the towel.. woe if we become numb..

You know what pain is?

It doesn't mean that you are doomed, nor should you feel sorry about your lot in life. It only means you care so much, that you have a heart that is involved and fully committed. That you are not simply going through the motions, that there really are emotions involved. That it is real.

And it doesn't go away, pain never leaves us alone like other emotions and experiences that are fleeting. A heart that is inured to the pain is a heart that never loves and perhaps will never know its meaning at all.. and that would be the most painful reality of all.

Probably not a bad thing at all..

Despite all the not-so-good things, there's still probably some light or consolation. To know that I am after all not inured to all the pain. Which only means that in due time the opposite of pain which is exhilaration and joy beyond compare can also be felt at any moment.

Also learned to treasure things and moments while you can, while you can still share them with people around you and especially with people who are dear to you.

Though one can't deny the certain sadness lingering for a while or perhaps lingering indefinitely. That is a bummer, most unfair but who says life is all about being fair?

When you can throw brickbats at destiny, challenge the fates with your gut and gumption, one must be prepared to endure whatever it is life throws back at you. The spirit must be kept alive in whatever form, and the mind that may at times falter & give in to 'unfounded' fears should be rein in by the heart and carefully assisted by the music it hears.

The beat goes on and again be thankful that it will never grow numb even if the pain is sometimes unbearable. Not a good thing-- that pain.. but probably not entirely bad at all..

'Let it be'- trite but true

re-learning that again from the old Beatles song, yes.. some things are simply better to just let on. Let it be becomes the primer for the year.. to get a glimpse of what's in store yet not exactly revealing it all lest it destroys all the excitement.

When faced with a rather mounting situation, it is best to just let things be.. and enjoy whatever happens.

In other words, let the universe guide your passion, your inclinations and just keep doing what's good and avoid hurting anyone least of all yourself.

The good and bad of Choking

yes, apparently there is a choking that's good and refreshes.. it's when you choke up at a sight of someone stirring up emotions deep within, making your eyes well with tears.. choking while listening to a song that touches some pretty raw edges of your heart. that kind of choke is freeing, like washing down pent-up feelings.

Then the bad kind of choke-- like when you choke on your words because the intention isn't so good and all you can blurt out are expletives and the like, choking while chewing on your food,or choking under pressure. Those are the worst.

Choking when you need to reveal something or really demand an important favor from someone is also a bad option. It's like putting a gag order on your mouth & you're left with nothing.

And next thing you know, the 'choke's on you'.

Staying

There simply is no reason or effort to stop,
always..
Even when there is a brief lull or
what we can perhaps term as a layover, somehow
it just stays..

In our thoughts, our hearts; emotions spoken
amidst distance, time and situation.

Setting aside one moment, yes
but getting back together in the moment,
just routinely picking up where we
left of.

Not necessarily asking for more.
Already had enough of that way back in the past.
But just merely staying in this ride.
Is it for a lifetime? Who knows?
But whatever it is, we're just letting it stay for
at least forever and a day.