Moises and Mendez-Palmares: Vows

Michelle: When I assessed what I had accomplished for 2012, I realized that the things that I thought I wanted were some of the things that I didn’t really want to do and those that I thought I would not want to do, I pursued with determination.

Sometimes we have a lot of activities and spread ourselves too thin only to realize that we haven’t really done much or worse, wonder why we did all those things in the first place! To keep me on track, I ask myself what am I passionate about and what I vow for myself this year. What is your passion, DJ?

DJ: There’s one song which actually states how tired people are chasing for temporary highs. This usually becomes an issue when one hardly knows himself or herself.

Thus, a person hardly knows what he or she wants. And so a person fills his or her days, weeks and even months with activities without even taking the time to discern whether these are really what will lead him or her to what he or she intends to be. I also wanted to further simplify things this year. I also find myself caught in this kind of trap.

M: When I was still single, I remember my passion was to study scripture. I wanted to go to bible school. I never did get to enroll but my passion to study scripture is still there and being in a community helps in nurturing my love for scripture and knowing God’s word.

Several years ago, I also discovered I had an interest in flowers, decors and event planning. With a group of friends, we formed an events group that coordinates weddings. It gives me pleasure to help brides-to-be plan their weddings. After I got married I got more interested in interior design and home makeovers. I vow to be a better homemaker and I think I might even venture to be more kitchen savvy aside from washing dishes! You were involved with theater, right. In the years we’ve known each other, I didn’t think you’d be the artsy type!

DJ: That’s an entirely different story. I’m not really into plays and much more, to be part in one. But yes, that’s one of the milestones in my life. For the past months work has kept me very busy. And this is quiet strange especially now when I know that we work to live.

We do not live to work. Even the most valuable things have only temporary worth. It’s about time we start shifting our paradigm from looking at things as an end to seeing them as a reflection of something higher.

M: Our passions fuel our zest for living. My hubby loves to cook and he even enrolled and finished culinary school. Though he is busy and happy with his work as director for sales, I have encouraged him to do something that really makes him happy.

He says he wants to put up a restaurant someday. When we talk about it, I hear the passion in his voice that I’m tempted to learn how to cook! But since I’m more passionate about eating than cooking, I’ll leave the kitchen arena to him. If we do something that we love, it isn’t work but something that gives us satisfaction while also providing us with the means to support ourselves and our family.

DJ: Now that we just started a new year, it’s best that we assess whether we’re still going to the direction we hope to be. Sure we need to have dreams. But it’s just as important to know we are pursuing our dreams and not the dreams of people around us.

Let’s avoid being trapped on being successful on things we never want to be in to begin with. Some people had it all only to find out in the end that the things they acquired were not even those that they needed. There is more to life than chasing temporary highs. The best person who can tell us what makes us truly happy is our self.

The best person who can take us there is also our self. Everything starts with knowing one’s self and to be true to that self. For it’s been said wherever our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

(ssinglestalk@yahoo.com)