I look at the man in the mirror today and I saw a happy man. Already, there are traces of getting old - salt and pepper hair, white streaks in goatee, little bit of wrinkles here and there, the beer belly that the guy's really having difficulty getting rid of - but his eyes have that twinkle that will tell you he's contented... at peace with what he has. Of course, it is but human nature to always want something... that's what makes life difficult for all of us being lesser beings that we are. But then, when somebody gets old - like the man in the mirror today - they somehow subside, and everything becomes a bit easier to bear.
I already said that birthdays never ceases to puzzle me. Well, at least I could speak from my own experiences. I don't know for the life of me why on this day you can't help contemplating on many things, especially the year that was. I said not too long ago that birthdays tend to present us with that instant when everything in our life comes in stride. In an instant, our life is shown right before us to further motivate us (or even warn us). Lessons we learned, especially life lessons to further improve our lives, tend to be on top of our minds. Experiences - especially those "emo" ones we shared with the family - becomes more vivid. On our birthdays, our lives is the one movie in our minds that plays on and on throughout the day.
Celebrating this "first birthday" - one year after I began my life - really provides an avenue for contemplation. I learned not too long ago that life really is not a sequence of crest and troughs, but rather a continuous wave of parallel crests and troughs put together. Thus, I learned that to fully appreciate life's meaning, you have to enjoy His blessings; at the same time, continue enriching - and giving - meaning to it, by having your own share of life's problems. Whenever I think of it, it is ironic that in this far away land, one which is not Christian at that, the family becomes closer and more religious. Maybe it's the yearning for our loved ones but home... the local customs and tradition... maybe it's that sense for feeling of extra security... whatever it is, I really am thankful that somehow, we managed to get back to Him and repeat the process of redeeming ourselves.
Emotions - especially the strong ones - I believe, are the fuel of writing. This day, just like other birthdays before this, gives me the power to write again. Well, at least to say something about my life. The past two years after I've written the first "Man in the Mirror" have been very good years for me and the family. It's when we found that what matters are the little things and what matters more is the company of your loved ones. It is the time when we really got our share of life's lessons and started moving towards realizing our family's goal - become closer and more loving, and always being there for each other. It is when we realize that problems will always be there, that's why God is always with us. It's when we started our life again in a different land, in a different setting.
Life has a funny way of giving you a gift when you're getting older - you become mature (and more "emo").
Anyways, I am happy.
I already said that birthdays never ceases to puzzle me. Well, at least I could speak from my own experiences. I don't know for the life of me why on this day you can't help contemplating on many things, especially the year that was. I said not too long ago that birthdays tend to present us with that instant when everything in our life comes in stride. In an instant, our life is shown right before us to further motivate us (or even warn us). Lessons we learned, especially life lessons to further improve our lives, tend to be on top of our minds. Experiences - especially those "emo" ones we shared with the family - becomes more vivid. On our birthdays, our lives is the one movie in our minds that plays on and on throughout the day.
Celebrating this "first birthday" - one year after I began my life - really provides an avenue for contemplation. I learned not too long ago that life really is not a sequence of crest and troughs, but rather a continuous wave of parallel crests and troughs put together. Thus, I learned that to fully appreciate life's meaning, you have to enjoy His blessings; at the same time, continue enriching - and giving - meaning to it, by having your own share of life's problems. Whenever I think of it, it is ironic that in this far away land, one which is not Christian at that, the family becomes closer and more religious. Maybe it's the yearning for our loved ones but home... the local customs and tradition... maybe it's that sense for feeling of extra security... whatever it is, I really am thankful that somehow, we managed to get back to Him and repeat the process of redeeming ourselves.
Emotions - especially the strong ones - I believe, are the fuel of writing. This day, just like other birthdays before this, gives me the power to write again. Well, at least to say something about my life. The past two years after I've written the first "Man in the Mirror" have been very good years for me and the family. It's when we found that what matters are the little things and what matters more is the company of your loved ones. It is the time when we really got our share of life's lessons and started moving towards realizing our family's goal - become closer and more loving, and always being there for each other. It is when we realize that problems will always be there, that's why God is always with us. It's when we started our life again in a different land, in a different setting.
Life has a funny way of giving you a gift when you're getting older - you become mature (and more "emo").
Anyways, I am happy.
