Salamat
Ironic that a teeny tiny third world country like ours seems (so far) unfazed by the US recession. So far, everyone I know still has their jobs, still can afford their daily dose of Starbucks and still can drink their body weight every Friday.
Someone very close to me works for the hotel industry in the US and, as you know, during these hard times, recreation is the first one to go in anyone’s budget — be it corporate or individual clients. He’s one of the many Americans who are looking at their future with doubt and its causing so much anxiety, which is all too understandable.
I’ve advised him that there really is nothing else to do but stay positive and be thankful for the things he has now. And I’m reminded of my friend’s blog a while back when she practically confessed that she finds my positivism annoying hahahaha.
But really, there’s just a point when there’s nothing else to do but sit back and let the universe do its work for you. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, there’s just a time when you’ve done all you can and you just have to leave it to God.
My friends have come to me with a variety of issues:
1. “Wala akong boyfriend. Di naman ako pangit”
2. “My boyfriend doesn’t want to get married yet”.
3. “I’m the only sane person in my family, to think I’m the youngest”
4. “My job sucks, my salary sucks and my boss don’t understand.”
5. “I have the most difficult client in the roster.”
6. “My boyfriend is wonderful but my parents don’t like him because he has children.”
And my advice is the same, all the time. STAY POSITIVE. There’s always a silver lining, there’s always something to be thankful for.
Just having your whole family safe and in good health all day every day is something to be thankful for.
Having food to eat on the table everyday. A roof over your head. Clothes to wear.
Money for massage and a pedicure. Or, for the guys, a Lacoste t-shirt.
And people who love you. Oh, my dears, it’s always worth celebrating when you think about all your friends and your family who pause from their busy lives just to say “Hoy, pare, buhay ka pa ba?”.
During crises like these, whatever their form — financial, emotional, spiritual— it’s convenient, hell it’s even fun to turn to self-loathing and wallowing and trapping yourself in a bubble. I understand that, I love to wallow. But like Obama said in his speech, it’s time to dust off oneself and … make this country great again. Huh? What? Yeah, you know what I mean….
I always share to people my daily ritual of going out of the house first thing in the morning and looking up the skies. Whether it’s all blue, kind of cloudy, or raining like hell, I say thank you. Thank you if it’s blue because I love blue skies. Thank you if it’s cloudy then it means it’s not too warm to walk. Thank you if it’s raining because I have an excuse to wear tsinelas to work.
You just need to take a step back, take a deep breath, look at what you’ve accomplished, and as for all the other worries, just say “Hey, Man (God), it’s all you. It’s up to you. I trust you. You haven’t failed me yet. You did that separating-the-ocean thing for Moses, I’m sure you can help me out of this rut.”
And, as I’ve told you (you, Hotel guy, and you, all my friends) I’m just here.
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Addendum: Thought about this while at the supermarket. I realize that the reason people find my positivizing philisophy annoying is because I also “tend to” (hehehe) provide — nay FORCE! — a solution to other people’s problems because I like to fix things (or think that I fixed something hehehe). And I apologize for that. Truly, my words can only go so far. Hell, my life’s not perfect either (if you only knew hahaha). But let me assure that it comes from a good place and if I had a magic wand that could solve our collective dilemmas, I will.
You just have to keep on keepin’ on. Yes, I quoted Joe Dirt.
