This Thing We Call Life

They say that there are now eight billion people here on Earth. It means that there are eight billion stories waiting to be told. Yours is one of them, and I hope you know that yours is unique in its own beautiful – even if tough – way.

It is colorful. Your life is filled with so many people who are mostly just passing by, but thankfully, there are those special people who are in it for the long haul. Everyone is just being themselves. Different personalities, different mindsets. And you are in the middle, soaking in their energies and somehow finding ways to relate to them. You live yourself how you want it. You take jobs you love or just need. You meet people you’ll love or hate. You seek opportunities which are sometimes granted to you, and there are some which are not. You get your heart broken, and somehow find ways to patch it up again. If you’re lucky, you’ll be healed and find someone. If not, you’ll get over it. Again, and again, and again. And by the time you realize, you have gathered so many colors and varying energies that it’s hard to deny how colorful life has been. It just is!

Life is magical. Not the “Abracadabra, be beautiful!, and poof, beautiful!” type of magic. It is magical because of how water droplets reflect light and create colors we call the rainbow. A powerful covenant to the faithful. Magical, because of how a full moon could bring so much comfort and warmth even when it only appears during a dark cold night. And how could one smile be so mesmerizing? How could a single person make your heart beat so fast that it feels like running horses thumping on your chest! You can barely catch your breath when you are not even running. Magical. Stupidly magical how a person could have that effect. Or it might just be the sunrise, or the sunset. Or it could be a walk by the beach, and the seashells you found. It can also be the person and the place. Or the conversations you’ve had. You’ll never really know, but when it happens, you’ll feel it. Sometimes, somehow, in such special moments, life is magical.

Life is challenging. This much is true. It is a tough world, and it is a jungle out there. You will be devoured if you don’t move. You will be devoured by trials and circumstances outside of your control. You will feel so weak that you cannot even see where life is heading, and you won’t even care if you still want to know. Life is so challenging that sometimes, staying still feels illegal. It is so difficult that when things are going your way, anxiety fills you up, because you feel like any moment, it’ll all go downhill. It’s not supposed to feel this easy and calm. I’m surely in trouble, says the voice inside your head.

We were so used to hardships that a smooth life feels like a dream. They said that the right to life is  basic and paramount among humans, but they sure did not give a manual on how to enjoy this basic right, did they? We feel so lost, that we somehow find solace in the company of other lost individuals. It gives us the notion that, somehow, we are not alone. Somehow, we belong with a group of people we can count on to understand us and our struggles. But here comes the night and all the emotions it carries, and just when you thought you definitely had it all figured out, you find yourself slumped on your bed at three am, crying your heart out for all the regrets and ‘almosts’ which haunted you. Just when you thought you’ve healed, life always has a funny and annoying way of reminding you that healing won’t come easy.

A scar might be just a scar, but it will always remind you of your pains, of how badly the world treated you. Of how people could be so unforgiving at times, and how life can be terrible. A wound might feel healed, but one touch and it starts bleeding profusely again. But despite all the challenges, we are born warriors. We grew to love this idea, didn’t we? It gives us the confidence to conquer even when we are at our lowest. We can do it, the only way is up when you’re already at your lowest, says a small encouraging voice. We will fall, we will fail, we will cry, and we will get hurt. Warriors don’t settle for that though, so even when it is hard, we will rise again, we will try again, we will laugh and smile again, and we will heal again. Again and again.

Fighting has been a crucial part of our daily lives that, I guess, it has become a norm. Laban lang, you tirelessly tell yourself. Life feels like a battlefield. But it is my hope that in this life, you find people, experiences, and places that make you realize that life is still beautiful. From the cool dawn, the beautiful sunrise clouds, the smell of freshly cut grass, the feel of the sand in your feet as you walk by the shore, the sound of giggling toddlers, the sound of birds’ first chirps in the morning, the gentle swaying of the leaves, flowers around you, the reassuring pat on your back by people who matter, their words of encouragement, the small gifts you receive, your constant rhythmic breathing, random hugs by people who matters, and your ability to love and be loved despite your adversities. I hope you find inspiration in the things you do, and if you haven’t yet, I hope you find ways to cultivate your passions long buried by fears, disappointments, and sorrow. Find ways to laugh again to the point of catching your breath. To enjoy your solitude. To love how your schedule needed to be disturbed for memorable unplanned moments to happen. To enjoy the sunset, even when it signifies the end, with the anticipation of the cold moonless but starry night. To appreciate the beauty and thrill of not knowing what will happen next. Because then you will only realize the full power you hold. The power to do things that will make a difference. To dictate your future. To do the things you once thought were impossible. There is so much beauty in not knowing. There is beauty in realizing that things could still change. And that somehow, life will favor you soon. That life might be a pain, but pain is not forever. Sooner or later, may we figure out how to live, this thing we call life.