The Unexpected

I WAS supposed to have an entirely different article this Sunday. I was going to finish doing it in the plane but well, I had been writing my article online and forgot to convert it to an offline file hence I could not add more to it to finish it. So here I am trying to make the most of an hour's flight to a place I will be visiting for the first time in the Visayas.

Anyway.

Now I am thinking of what to write about. I have been so caught up on the original article that I feel like an asthmatic (which I am!) having an attack and grasping for air! What to do? What to do?! As I write this only two things come to mind. Actually, it's one person and one thought.

The person is the Pope. He has since resigned from his duties as the Head of the Catholic world and yet I am still quite hung up on the reactions his decision to "rest" drew from the people. Whatever the reason, I really think that it was right mainly because Pope Benedict XVI saw that it was the right thing to do, not only for his own sake but for the general Catholic populace as well.

Big decisions are never easy to make. Most specially when it stands to affect a lot of people who will surely make their unsolicited opinions known. Moreso when it's an unpopular or unexpected resolve. Some people can be swayed to change their minds to ease the tension but I am quite glad there are quite a lot too, who stay firm and stand by their decision to see things through.

Of course there are many factors that can affect major decisions but it really is quite admirable when we know people who are strong enough to stand by the choices they make.

I, for one, am not as strong all the time. Actually, most of the time. I am always looking out for what other people would feel about the decisions that I make. Especially the ones that are closest to me. It is okay when you don't really end up sacrificing what you believe in and feel what is best for you but when it does, regret and the feeling that you have short-changed yourself will bother you endlessly.

Gathering the strength and fortitude to see things through requires mindfulness and determination amidst varying opinions that can command you to do something opposite of what you had originally planned to do.

When you are someone who aims to please and wants to make people happy as much as possible, this will be a recurring problem in life. In the future, you will find that it has reared its ugly head long enough that you find yourself unhappy and wishing things had been different.

Never fear because it is never too late to learn to be magnanimous in your decisions. Start out small and work your way up to major issues. Brace yourself, take a deep breath and prepare for the onslaught of opinions to come. You will also find, at some point, that your choices were wrong. It can have grave consequences and you will only have yourself to blame BUT keep in mind that at least, you followed your heart and did what you thought was right, independent of what others think.

That's something!

You learn along the way how independent, sound decisions are made. With it comes a natural flare to come up with a Plan B or a contingency plan for damage control. It gets better with constant practice. Needless to say, life lessons like these increases our chance of survival in this crazy world.

Look it doesn't hurt to hear out suggestions and views of significant people in your life but in the end, you know yourself best and well, it is YOUR life. The unexpected is always waiting to happen so expect it. Try not to fear the unknown all the time. Look at it as an adventure and embrace it! Just proceed with caution and with all your faculties intact.

It is raining in Kalibo and the skies are rough. I try not to anticipate the air pockets but when the turbulence hits, I close my eyes and pray with bated breath. So much for sun and sunsets in Boracay. But you know what, these 'jolts' add voltage to our lives. We become more aware of our lives and even for a brief moment, realize what really should matter most to us.

The skies have suddenly cleared and I can see the sun again. Whew. Happy days are really better appreciated after dark, gloomy ones. That is how we learn to appreciate the good things that we love and enjoy; against a sad and dreary yesterday or past experience! All is well and ends well..

Oh but wait! Amidst my mental merry-making, the Captain announces a change of plan! We are landing in Cebu! Oh great.. Perfect! It sucks and it turns out that today, Saturday, is the suckiest day by far! Deep breaths. Visualize calm waters..

As much as I am disappointed about the delay, I could not help but chuckle and smile. Hehe. Life is like that. You never really know when the unexpected comes but well, you can always control how you perceive it! Time for Plan B! :)

Okay. Maybe, it's been way too long since I tasted Cebu lechon and Carcar special chicharon. Hmmm. Maybe this is what the flight change is all about. Yeah, everything always happens for a reason! Lechon and chicharon are it! Then maybe after a few hours (hopefully), we'll be back on our way to Boracay again!

Have a great Sunday everyone!