Getting there

SUMMER is here!

I have never appreciated summer this much for a long time.  Let's just say that I've been 'busy' surviving my daily trials.  Although it has given me valuable lessons that made me stronger, I can't deny that life has been tough on me.  Well, that's the way my ball rolled but like anything round that turns, things are starting to turn on the 'up' side and I'm simply beside myself with joy!!!

Summer officially started early for me.  Went away on a three-day vacation to Boracay.  Yes!  Boracay! In all my years on this Earth, I have never set foot on the party island with the finest sand and the most glorious sunrises and sunsets!!  It was just breath-taking witnessing the wonders of nature we often take for granted when we are immersed in the rat race of life.

Or smothered to near death by trials.

If anyone asked me to go to Boracay a year or so ago, I would probably think of it as an impossible, crazy idea.  Just the thought of the boat transfers would be enough to make me dizzy and green in the face!  For the longest time, I had to be content with Bora pictures.

But not this year.

2013 is MY year.

I felt it.  I claimed it.  Now I'm on the up side and it seems everything is coming up roses!  Oh, there are still trials and sometimes they drive me crazy but I know better now.  All of us have our dark moments.  It can be fleeting but it can also drag on to what feels like forever and that sucks.  Big time.

We all feel restricted from reaching our full potential at some point.  Whether it is our own doing or simply how it is beyond our control, we dream of better things and brighter days to pursue goals that will lead us to a feeling of content and pride that we have finally developed into the kind of people we hoped we would become.

Believe me, the trials will come and sadly, there will be moments of defeat and despair.  Even when things seemed to get better, life's storms will appear out of nowhere and rain on your parade. But hang in there! Through the seemingly senseless hardships, worries and fears, a better, more appreciative  'you' will emerge.  Just be be patient.  Think positive and work towards fulfillment slowly but surely and you'll get there.

Believe me, perseverance pays off!  I am still continuously amazed of what I have become.  I know I am a better person because I feel it in my heart and soul.   I know with every step that I take that I am taking back each sad and dismal moment that I was ever in, turning it into a tool that helps me find the silver lining in every dark cloud that looms over me.

Things will look up and when it does, you will realize that everything that happened prior to that moment was all worthwhile.

Soooo

I totally enjoyed Boracay!  I tried to squeeze as much fun as i could in the three days that I was there. I challenged myself to do what anyone would  do on a Boracay vacation. I challenged all fears and self-doubt. I beat hesitation to the ground and threw all caution to the wind!  I let myself go and just have fun!  I walked the four and a half kilometer stretch in my bathing suit everyday without any cares!  I had my hair braided and enjoyed my new 'look' to the fullest!  This was my chance to do things I wanted and I was determined to do it!!

I went helmet diving despite the fear of feeling pain and discomfort if  I fail to equilibrate correctly.  To be able to walk on the sand under sixteen feet of seawater, pressure and all, felt amazing!  It felt good being there under the sea witnessing the beauty of a world so different from what we live in.  As I stood there in silence, hearing myself breathing, I am filled with happiness.  (Never mind that I had trouble lifting my heavy self onto the platform after the 'walk'.  It took two people to pull me up and the poor dive master pushing my enormous butt out of the water! Hehe)

Island hopping was fun!  Never mind the inside-a-washing machine feeling we felt as our boat swung and swayed with the enormous waves of the open sea welcomed and embraced us.  Puka Beach was irresistible,  with its fine white sand and turquoise waters.  It beckoned to be enjoyed and we did!!!

You should go parasailing when you get the chance!  The feeling of air in your face and the calm weightlessness that comes with being suspended in midair, no ground beneath your feet, is probably the closest thing to flying most of us will experience.  I said a prayer while I was up there.  I said it aloud and wholeheartedly. It was the closest I could get to God so I thanked Him for everything and cried.  It's not everyday that anyone can experience being physically closer to heaven the way I did that day.  I felt free and one with the heavens, it felt great to be alive!!!  Even now, I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

I rode the all terrain vehicle, too.  I was so unsure and wobbly, the guide worried I'd crash into someone or something, or fall off a cliff, We had to 'practice' twice.  Yup!  I was that bad!  I was scared stiff and stressed at first but as I got the hang of it, I slowly eased up and began to appreciate the beauty around me. Even in darkness, when my headlights fizzled and went, I was calm, knowing there was someone who had my back.  Needless to say, I got back safely.

Life is sort of like my Boracay activities.  You go through it with hopes, excitement, fear and doubt. Along the way you learn how to control the things that you can and accept the ones that you can't.  You develop an appreciation for every good thing that there is and also learn how to be careful to manage the experiences that are not.  In the end, you feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. A lingering happiness that creates a normal high.  You walk away from the experience a better and fulfilled person, glad you took the leap of faith and grateful for the chance to become what you want to be.  Now, isn't that great?  Your life is priceless so live it to the fullest!

Life is a road we all have to thread.   Like any path, there will be blocks along the way.  There will be mixed feelings about yourself and  toward others.  Learn to distinguish one from the other, be prepared to face your challenges the best way you can.

You'll get there.  Promise.

Have a Happy Sunday and a Glorious Summer Everyone!!