Faith is not knowledge of what the mystery of the universe is, but the conviction that there is a mystery,
and that it is greater than us.--Rabbi David Wolpe

A STONE'S THROW

The simplicity of life depends on how someone looks at it.  From the heart or from the head.  You will realize later on in life that many things that have been taken for granted were not at all that kind of "shrugged-off" thing.  They will come back to remind you that in order to justify an existence that would qualify you to be happy (or sad, for that matter) could have been either much easier or more difficult depending on how you managed the affair itself.

    Being happy at a certain page in our lives can mean so much to a lonely person.  But when you sum it all up, you will find that the integral part of you actually contributed to how much you have enjoyed such an accomplishment, if it ever was called that.  Remember that life is full of drudgery and broken dreams.  You are a child of the universe, no less than the moon and the stars.  Reach for your dreams but don't dwell on them.  Live them as you would if you were sad because you didn't have a choice.

    Take things nice and easy.  Give love; make others happy.  Then and only then will you find fulfillment that would last forever.  Because it felt good.  When you are happy, remember the lonely.  It goes around in circles.  We can't be on top all the time.  It's a spinning wheel.  But it's up to us to recognize the pitfalls that come our way.  The network of notorious obstacles never go away but we can get to a point that even having them infront of us would be just as easy to manage if we trusted ourselves because we have confidence and love that back us up in our decisions.  Our lives are simply borrowed.  One day we will hand them back...  "ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  So, keep up with yourself.  Do the best you can because making someone happy can save you a lifetime someday.  It's never easy trying to keep up with the Joneses when you're not even a stone's throw away from where they live.  We have to at least try to get close enough to be able to witness their daily routines.  After that we could diligently follow a path like a sure-footed deer in search for food after a devastating blizzard.

    We choose the way we live.  Our wants and desires could very well suggest that we are swayed away from the right track but still we firmly believe that heck, "This is my life and I do what I desire."  Well, there you go.  There is no end to what we can do together.  We can still work things out.  But when the end is near and you face the final curtain, it might be too late to turn things around.  So be on guard.  Life is strange, but it's beautiful.  Live it well.  When your turn comes, you will be at peace.  For sure.

(July 1996)






TO EVERYTHING, THERE IS A SEASON

Waking up from the trenches of a harsh winter, it is a delight to have as an eye-opener a beautiful postcard with white water rafters going through churning rivers.  Or a picture of hikers on a trail through stands of whispering aspen and red oak.

    However, our love of outdoors come in different depths of field.  Some would rather watch than bike on craggy mountain paths or pedal lazily down country roads.  And while others saddle up on horseback, some would rather witness the astonishing water ballet of humpback whales.

    Awaken your spirits and let it yearn for adventure.  It's almost time for outdoor activities.  When the rains and the snow have ceased, it's party time.  Time to go and do some soul-searching and try to penetrate the impassable.  The essence of getting involved with nature could be very difficult to some.  There are times when they seem to be more of a hindrance than paradise found.

    Make a list of places that you've always wanted to visit then plan on it.  Unfortunately, to some this takes longer than others.  Soothe yourself with something relaxing but of course, what may seem like just plan fun to you can be pretty strenuous to some.  Even if it's still on the planning stage.

    Most of us are wage-earners and sure, we work day in and day out to support our families.  And as if nothing puts your mind at ease until the kid is dropped off at school or at a day-care center, you take a deep breath and face another day--at work.  It's good to remember that the smaller children still need our assistance even after school is over.  At home, they should be encouraged to read books or do school work with parents' guidance and participation.  Their future lies in your hands and shaping them is required now.  You should suspect that something is wrong when your child suddenly does poorly in school.  Maybe your assistance as a responsible parent could turn things around.

    Get out of your protective shells and immerse yourselves in activities that include the whole family.  Our country is where nature, beauty and memories meet.  Discover what a vacation was always meant to be.   Go out and enjoy it your way--enter a door made of lush, green trees or walk through into a world of fantastic color as frightened lizards race through a rainbow of wild flowers.  This is nature's reality.  And it's so near, so easy to reach, to touch.  And all you need is to make time for it because you know you have the will to impart something to another generation after you--a legacy of some sort, a lasting seal that would undoubtedly be recognized as your work of love that was strengthened only by continual support that spending time with nature ranks high in a society where physical and psychological well-being are truly cared for even by people you haven't met.

    Your heart will laugh, your spirit will dance, your soul will sing.  To everything, there is a season.

(April 1996)





ONE PERSON'S DREAM
Watching the second hand sweep the clock's face, many past things come to mind, opening previously closed mini-chapters of a young person's chronological events.  Oftentimes, things or happenings get appreciated long after they are but pages of a photo album or plain memories in the back of one's mind.

    You, and me...  we both daydream time and again.  Different music for different tastes--Chopin on the piano.  The symphonies of Beethoven.  Handel.  Yanni.  Stone Temple Pilots, Ace of Base, Gloria Estefán, Lettermen.  Staring blankly out the window, what do we see?  Nothing that materially exists.  Our minds are projected way out there somewhere--where Father Time had a place in our hearts.  And we seek them subconsciously at times.  We dream although this time we are awake.  Past memories stir our being and we seem to travel back in time as we place ourselves at the scene that we "picked."  We dream, we reminisce the past.  Our own.
    
    As we mature, our priorities in life change.  So do our dreams and aspirations in life.  Do you remember how the sound of a soft violin would make your heart beat just a little faster as yuou absorb its essence?  Just the same feeling the groom gets as his bride approaches the altar, smiling delicately like the Mona Lisa, and you take a quick gulp of air almost trying to slow down your accelerating heart rate.  But you were so composed nonetheless.  Why, it was a much-awaited event, perhaps almost heavenly.

    Yes, we remember things the way they were.  Good or not-so-good ones.  But it's fine.  No matter how long we've been living here on earth, we can always reminisce any past experience.  Why, we even dream of things that never were.  

    Enjoy life as you wanted it to be.  Learn from your own mistakes as you pursue a dream in life.  Build a future right now while you still have ample time.

(Dec. 1994)




IN THE MORNING LIGHT


The fog was rolling in, gently caressing my face with its early morning mist, and I was still sitting there all alone waiting for nature to unfold another day in the life of a dreamer.  Repositioning my stance, a fresh breeze silently whizzed by as if whispering a heavenly message, and upon untimely looking up eastward, I saw myself in the morning light.  It was a reflection, a reminder perhaps that we, as human beings on earth, would eventually get to where we actually wanted to go--a place where we simply could live "forever."

    In our lives, we overlook many things.  And even the simplest of things puzzle us as we try to traverse the earthly maze that teasingly hunt us wherever we go.  Maybe it's a test of time.  Or a test of our own true identity to see how we perceive ourselves as "the other person."  Live and let live.  We are what we are.  It is for us to either simplify things or complicate them, and without knowing, we could easily fall into the throngs of the unwanted.
    
    We look in the mirror and sometimes pretend to talk to "ourselves."  It's a whisper in the dark that only old memories could resurrect and with the enchantment of doing things our way, we justify our wants and desires until the last moment when we come to realize that we are indeed disciples of our own destinies, our dreams, and our virtual existence.

    So, before you plunge into something drastically "unsure," bear in mind that one person's dream reflects how he or she embraces life as it is...  in the morning light.  

    Then I stood up, stretched out and took a deep breath and I was on my way to meet another day.  It was indeed nice to "dream."

(Dec. 1994)



Essay I   ·   Essay II   ·   Essay III     Summer Dreams