29 April 2011
87/100+Present day
My
Nanay Manang's fried rice came to mind as I looked at the plate of dried fish,
or what we called "lawlaw".
These
days, we rarely eat fried rice in the morning. Having spent half of my
life away from home, I have slowly changed my habits, be it with food, time, or
raising a family. Being away, though, hasn't fully changed my values; in a way, I
was able to discover and apply to my life what is truly important for me to grow
as a person. It is a long process because, along the way, without me knowing it,
I still attached myself to my old ways, and relearning to live and be
different was a challenge. But as with most people who migrate to another
country and create their own family, I learned to adapt- body and soul but not
without health challenges and never-ending questions of my life choices.
What
helped is having children – they have reminded me of my capabilities, of things
to unlearn and learn, of emotions to regulate, of being open to changes, all the
while not forgetting who I am, first and foremost. To be strong but also show vulnerability, because I am still a human being. Progressively growing. Striving to inspire. To matter. To love and to be. Of not being stagnant and to
not wallow but to be proactive. Otherwise…
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