Custodio: 16 flights
“Sometimes we don’t realize how lucky we are. We become so tied up with all the things that need to be done and all the other stuff we need to achieve to be ‘successful’ that we lose sight of the many blessings that come to us, even when we do not ask for it.”
Thank God I learned my lesson and actually wrote than these thoughts at the beginning of the week. Like I said last Sunday, I have forgotten too many ideas because I refuse to write them down thinking that I was perfectly able to remember all my thoughts with no scribbling of details needed. Phooey!
The notes come in handy especially when one cannot seem to think of anything worth writing about! If you have been reading my column long enough, you would understand how this is a constant source of “stress” for me! It is quite alarming when you had six days to think what to write about and still come up with nothing a few hours.
By my standards, I can say that I been so caught up in my busy schedule, I barely have time to breathe! I am not your usual busybody so I struggle when there are unexpected developments that I need to deal with all at once! I have to admit that I often feel overwhelmed by the new set of things that I need to do!
Today (Saturday) was pretty much that kind of day (swamped with stuff, no time to think). As I looked out into the calm Manila Bay waters from my hotel window, nothing came to mind.
Maybe the view was all too relaxing I had to snap out of my reverie and remind myself that our annual conference was far from over abd I needed to go back downstairs to attend!
I walked lazily towards the elevators and pushed the buttons to summon the lift up my floor. Nothing. Hmmm. I pushed and pushed all the buttons yet no elevator came. Housekeeping came and tried to remedy the situation but it seemed that the lift was temporarily unavailable. Uh-oh. Halaaa.
My room was on the 16th floor you see, and when you are told that there is no functioning elevator, it only means one thing: I had to go down at least sixteen flights of stairs. Berigood. Good luck to my knees!
Under normal circumstances I would whine, raise my eyebrows and probably “express” my disdain for the unexpected cardio workout. But no, I refuse to earn more wrinkles by stressing over petty things. Instead of complaining, I chose to find merit in my impromptu exercise.
As I meandered through the staircases that were probably there since 1912, I began pointing out the good points.
First, the fire exit wasn't warm. Actually it was quite breezy (?) the whole time. I felt comfortable going down the stairs! The steps too, were the right height and width. It took less effort descending from the top to the ground floor. I was also quite thankful that I was on my way down rather than up the stairs! That would take much more effort! (Although I know if that had been the case I would be thankful still for a fuller cardio workout!)
A hotel staff met me at the 9th floor fire exit door, offering me to take the elevator the rest of the way. I felt relieved and thought of obliging but decided I would rather walk all the way down to the ground floor instead. He had that puzzled look on his face as I told him “No thanks, I will take the stairs.” Hahaha.
The truth is, by the time I got to the ninth floor, I was celebrating! The seven floors that I had managed to conquer reminded me all the years when I could not even go down three steps because of a previous injury and a gamut of illnesses that made using the stairs nearly impossible for me. Years and years and years of being totally dependent on wheelchairs, elevators and escalators, all gone now.
If there was anyone who ever got emotional over using the stairs, that was me and I am not ashamed to admit it. I am thankful for second chances like this, where I can do things I have not done for so long! It may be quite simple or mundane but to.me, it was something to rejoice about!
We are always looking for big success that we forget to appreciate the smaller ones. Believe me, at some point in your life you will realize that they are equally as important as your major victories! I have learned through the years that when you learn how to see the good in the small things, happiness is easier to find. And in this world when there seems to be a growing amount of hate and desperation, these small packets of bliss will always come in handy. So find it and celebrate it!
Happy Sunday Everyone! :)