SUMMER RAIN

Don't you love it?

The heat of the sun quenched by the sudden gust of rain. Or sunrays becoming misty through raindrops, then rainbows!

Err, maybe not. Getting caught between rain and sun almost always ends up with us getting sick. No go. No, thank you.

Summertime! Hot, and wild. The rising temperature almost always makes people crazy. We adjust. Eventually, we find comfort in the costly cool breeze of an airconditioner or, enjoy sweet delight while feasting on halo-halo or icecream. Then it rains. The humid air is suddenly unwelcomed. The almost barren feet becomes covered by patches of moist dust and there is that sticky, perspir-y sensation that gives you one of the most undesirable, persistently irritating feeling. Speak about sudden changes which catch you unaware.

Think about it: you have labored through extended time gaining confidence that you have mastered what you are doing only to find out that at the last lap, when your energy is almost depleted, when you expected the ride to be smooth and easy, you would be faced with the steep-est uphill slope. Just when someone tells you to hurry because you are almost there, you find the last bend to be the most challenging turn of all. Just when the day of the most-awaited event drew near, you realize all the possibilities threatening to ruin the perfect ending you have been working so hard to get to. You may say, "aww, man! What a blitz!"

Then  the idea of defeat dawns on you...enough! Not the end yet, pal! You still stand a chance.

But just when you thought dry land was your last resort, rain came pouring down. And my, my, my - it did as if it has not done for the last century! Just when you finally let go and give up (on the plus side), suddenly more challenges take form. Just when you are out of breathe, the next gulp of life-sustaining air becomes for sale!

What a world! I surmise that despite the bright, scorching heat of the sun, you might be thinking of a cold, gloomy ending. Maybe right now, you would be "giving-it-all" to know what happened next. SECRET SURPRISE! That is what endings or concluding statements are for. ;-)

Addage says that the journey itself matters more than the destination, considering what you have gained, what you have learned, of course.

See, the journey is a map of exciting, emabarrassing, excruciating nonetheless educational elements and everything else in between.Those who do not die along the way become stronger. Those who suffer brain-ache become wiser. Those who, in one way or another, experience being crippled, stuck or useless become more adept and indispensable. The journey feeds on little journeys cycling through dream-believe-survives, ready-set-gos, ask-believe-receives and of let-gos and let-Gods. Each little part corresponds to steps taken one at a time, mini-goals accomplished to contribute to the desired end goal.

Charting traits would exhibit extremes such as being cowardly and courageous, meek and mad, darling and dangerous (nothing criminal, just maybe out of desperation when plans go awry).

Dangers and doubts are key players. Directions, detours and distractions do not only provide an extra heap of convoluted and confusing course of actions - they become venues for establishing faith in whatever or whoever keeps you one and whole and sane to continue moving forward.

Ahh, there you go! What really matters most is that you continue on. You never give up - even if it rains cats and dogs on a pleasant summer day and you are enjoying your gold-label ice cream while waiting for the sun to set. Even if you know that the sight will not be as glorious or as awesome as imagined, something good still comes out of it. Well, you don't know, maybe something peculiarly beautiful might come out of it.

Sunset at the Boulevard
(c) Google Images

As always, journeys come to an end - the end result of which will dictate the next fragment of herstory.

Regret for mis-steps, but do not dwell so much on them, only as much as learning from mistakes. As my team lead always reminds us - past is past, moving forward...

Resolve to better luck next time, err, to do better and be better next time.

Review courses taken, re-calibrate strategies, replenish resources spent - invest anew on time, talents, tools, and re-create scenarios and loose ends to seal the deal and be empty enough for the refill.

Rest for thou hast made significant contribution to your timeline. Peace be with others as well, for definitely, you have posted on their timelines, too.

Most of all, rejoice and be grateful that you came out of the big J alive. Nothing beats being given another chance. Life is really a never-ending cycle of starts and ends. So, level up! Always be ready like Barney Stinson. ;-)

Here's to the next step, to becoming better: --->Challenge Accepted!

Time Flies...Really Fast!

age
tic-toc
old and new

hellos and goodbyes

another set of candles to blow

earth colors fading from green to gold

hurrahs and graduation caps tossed in the air

terms of endearment changing from ija to auntie

increasing number of pages to read back on the journal

caps, sweaters, scarves and jackets piled neatly in the dresser

seasons of cool breeze and humid weather and extravagant travels

new set of information to write on forms particularly on the space before y/o

scorecards of greens (hopefully no reds) showing up in blasts and posts and boards

alarm sounding off, getting from one place to another, turning calendar pages, people leaving, loved ones dying, offsprings coming forth, projects and budgets, anniversaries and new chapters, accomplishements in missions, time beaten in races, checkmarks on the bucket list, number of torn sneakers, strands of white hair...

 

When caught in traffic while in a hurry, you painstakingly watch how every second goes by with the slow (or non)-moving vehicle you are in.

Close your eyes for two minutes and it may seem like eternity. I remember what my coach told me about the great difference between putting clients on virtual hold (i.e., with dead air) and putting them on real hold. If you are up for a very satisfying response, better entertain them with automated noise rather than make them feel left behind, alone with silence. Two minutes could be such a long time, relatively speaking.

Take a leave off for several days and when you go back to work, there is a great chance that you will be lost in track with the work process. But be gone and away from friends for a decade and you would still be chatting incessantly ala highschool years come reunion time. Like years have not passed at all.

Time goes by so fast that you almost always find yourself cramming just to beat it.

Time goes by so fast that sometimes the setting sun is mistakenly seen as the rising one.
Time goes by so fast that sometimes you wonder why you are in the midst of a different group of people.
Time goes by so fast that the number of what-ifs and could-have-beens increases without you noticing them.
Time goes by so fast that you either race against it, or just let it pass by, making the most of what you have and enjoying whatever remaining life years you have.

If only we could fly faster than time...
If only we have full control of it to manage it most wisely...
If only we could see the future to be prepared of what is to come...
If only we could turn back time to make better use of what has passed...
If only we were always set with the right mind to make ourselves most productive and deserving of the time lent to us..

Time is gold.
Time is an illusion.
Time is immemorial.
Time belongs to one who has nothing else.
Time is a thief that robs us of our past selves, subtly so.
Time is both most valuable and most perishable.
Time does not change us, it unfolds us.

Use time wisely. :D