Sunday. Sunny with some streaks of clouds up high.
I was on my way to attend a meeting. And I have with me the usual things I bring: my ever-so-compact backpack containing all my notebooks, books and my camera as well, my laptop on the other bag, and two big plastics of grilled chicken and chicken siopao which my colleagues asked me to buy. I was lucky enough to get the last seat on a public utility van then. And as I try to fit in all my stuffs in that small remaining space, while saying my apologies to the other commuters inside, I imagined how my image of being so untidy and unorganized came out into the open once again. Oh well, this is me and I am pretty good with it. ^_^
As the vehicle starting working its way to the next city where our meeting will be held, I looked out the window and--well, what else am I supposed to do but look out and observe everything that is to see until they disappear into thin dots of nothingness? Upon reaching the "Quezon City Welcome Rotunda"--the landmark of the city ext to Manila, and which by the way was just recently renovated--I saw some street kids playing under the shade on that monolith. They wear ragged and dirty shirts and their toys were nothing but stones and bottles and some other debris that we all consider as trash. Yet the worries and sadness were absent from their faces. They were all laughing joyfully together, ignorant of the saddening situation the society around them actually portray.
We live in supposedly prosperous cities where the rich see no ends to their problems.
They live in an imaginary bliss where their problems are forgotten even for a short while.
These were the thought roaming around my ever-so-clattered mind when the vehicle swiveled then made a sharp turn. And then an endless array of trees met my eyes. Rows upon rows of luscious green landscapes.
Suddenly I found myself smiling.
I could imagine my companions inside that cramped vehicle, if only they saw me smiling by myself, looking at all those wonderful living wonders of green trees... they might call me crazy already haha. I was just too amazed because you can seldom see good trees in Manila City.
It made me smile, made me feel more comfortable, made me feel at ease. These are simple things in life that we usually miss, those that we usually ignore in our busy life. True indeed were the words of one of our professors (have you noticed? I have been talking about my professors' "quotable quotes" the past few days haha)
She said:
"The natural elements surrounding us: the trees, the rivers, the sea, the mountains, are a wonderful source 'Good and Positive Energy'. Just being around them re-energizes us, makes us more at peace. In contrast we see these buildings and infrastructures everyday, dead, un-alive. And we would even cut down those trees just to give way to these skyscrapers. And we wonder why everyday seems shorter now and a lot more tiring."
I don't know if that statement above made sense to you, but it did to me.
We should always have some time to go out and feel the nature. REAL NATURAL surroundings
that are lacking in our stressful lives. Give them importance, those simple things in life that can make us smile somehow.
Salam kasilasa,
AIMD
(yup no good resoution again ^_^)
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