Moises and Mendez-Palmares: Table of contents

DJ: I recently had coffee time with some friends. Our conversation eventually leaned toward how challenging life has become, how most yuppies like you and me are under constant pressure to deliver. Whatever that is, one can only look up at the vast sky, pinpricked by millions of stars.

Michelle: With the variety of what life has to offer, we are often stressed with the bombarding pressures of choosing one thing over the other and making good in the choices that we make. The pressure to deliver, as you say, is because competition has also been tight, be it in work, in relationships or in any other endeavor.

DJ: When I was a kid, my parents were consistent in having me do “some important work” even during summer. To have purpose was highly prized even in our home. The pressure at times was strong I eventually found solace in drinking. Soda, that is. Haha! We were all once children. Some of us might be like me who once thought responsibility and owning up to what ought to be done could make one a bore. I once thought the plot works only if first, you’re an actor and second, you want to win an Oscar.

M: Responsibility is something that comes with growing up. We have to learn to face the consequences of our actions. There might be things that we dislike to do but have to do because we might be thought of as irresponsible or worse, lacking in purpose and direction. Being employed, for example. It would be easier and less stressful if one would just take it easy. But there are obligations to meet and being fiscally impaired leads to more problems and anxiety. Eventually, it stresses us as well as the ones around us, especially if one is always asking for a dole-out! We have to make something of ourselves not for the sake of others, but for our own sense of well-being.

DJ: Every summer, my parents would take us to mom’s place in Tangub. Indeed, the lessons in life are not necessarily learned in the classroom but in the playground. Kids live in the moment, not really thinking about what everyone else is doing and how their lives are so much better. Those summer trips taught me to be less attached to modern complexities like TV, computer and BMX bikes. Playing with other kids was fun. I liked the idea that we shared something despite being in different circumstances. Then I learned the importance of putting more focus on what one already has and not always on what one does not have.

M: We learn many things from books, but we have to live outside the confines of theories and ideas to be able to live life. I learned so much from my parents, from school and in my work. But I learned much more when I was exposed to different situations, cultures, people, and dealing with our differences. We learn contentment when we don’t always compare. We should appreciate what we have in the here and now.

DJ: Like riding the seesaw: Sometimes we’re up. Sometimes we’re down. Whatever circumstances you’re in—whether you’re in the tightest dating relationship or hung over after a breakup, whether you’re ultra rich or just too broke, whether you’re earning a lot by getting paid for doing what you like or having an 8 to 5 ant existence in some really hot workplace, whether your heart is on a high tide or low tide—you can still be content knowing that all things shall pass. Know who you are, what you are made of, what you stand for, and be just that. We all have our share of success and failure. But when one is true to one’s self, one has the better chance to stay on a platform that transcends changing situations.

(ssinglestalk@yahoo.com)