COUNT THE YEARS NOT BY WHAT YOU HAVE LOST BUT BY WHAT YOU HAVE GAINED

 

 

----------------
It's always a relaxing moment seated in a quiet corner of my favorite coffee bar which my daughter and I often frequent.. and just simply 'watch the world go by', so to speak. Nobody knows me except of course for the friendly baristas who consider me and my daughter as regulars to their store. With my favorite green tea frappe paired with a delicious slice of chocolate cake time simply slips by unnoticed quite peacefully. And I love it…

Until something catches my attention and shakes up my thinking cap.

Just a table away from me sat four middle-aged ladies. Apparently long-time friends and still at it through the changes of life and time. Have gathered that much from their conversation which trickled down in my direction. Quite obviously, no doubt. Alam nyo naman din ang Pinoy.. maingay yan kapag nagkikita-kita. Ang lalakas pa ng boses, akala mo sila lang ang tao sa kwarto o sa mundo. But you can tell they were having such great fun! So then it was difficult not to hear or ignore them sounding like that. Was quite amused by it all, in fact.

They were at it for some minutes until their mood turned serious; no more banter or laughter seen or heard from them. The talk turned different. So then I turned back to my drink and cake, too, while waiting for my daughter who had to run errands inside the mall now seen teeming with people chasing after promo sales.

A few minutes went by then I suddenly heard this lady from the group speak up loud and clear:

"Eto yun at tandaan mo: Don't look at how far you have to go, look at how far you have come!"


That made me smile. I've heard that line before, spoken by someone... and read it somewhere, too.

I think sometimes such familiar lines come to us at some point in our lives when confusion and frustration assail us. Although meant to inspire or encourage us yet it does not always work that way. Because when you’re hurting you cannot understand anything else but your hurt or pain. And all that you can see is that long tough journey still stretching out ahead of you and which makes you wonder just when or where it will ever stop or end. Because it’s truly tough --- you’re hurting and crumbling under its burden, and it feels like you have reached the end of your rope.

But here’s what…..

Breathe deep. Deeply. Just breathe. Tune in on your senses. Pay attention to what it’s telling you. What does it say? It says you’re alive! With eyes that see, ears that hear and listen, nose that smells fragrance and otherwise, hands that touch and feel, legs that can walk many distances, and your sense of taste that leads you to scrumptious food which ends up having heavier numbers on the weighing scale! (Geeez I agree!)

And being alive means......…

That you have new tomorrows waiting for you... that you can try again... that you can pursue your fond dream another way... that you can build and rebuild... that you can pick yourself up each time you fall – over and over – again and again... that you can find and meet new people who will be kinder to your dreams... that you can choose what to do next... that you can learn new things and grow with it... that you can create or recreate new opportunities for yourself to work on.

Being alive means that you don’t and won’t give up. Being alive means that you are darn so good but you can also be so much better or the best. And that is the goal!

Count the years not by what you have lost but by what you have gained. Big or small. They’re all significant. No matter what people may say, you deserve your glory. And keep counting because more is yet to come. God bless you!