Of course, this view may vary from person to person. What I consider of value may be worthless to you, and what you consider as fit for a king’s ransom may be worthless to me even if it’s a glass figurine worth P10,000.
My nephew Pannon has a nightmare spelling “Swarovski,” and I had to check out the spelling with my fashionista niece, Krystal.
These are my Swarovski crystals.
The brown birds that love the chico (sapodilla) tree at the back of the house are worth nothing to many people, and they wouldn’t buy them even if sold two dozens for a peso.
But they are of great value to me. They suck the nectar from the flowers and in the process, pollinate them. In a few weeks I will have juicy fruits to fill my table. My cup runneth over with joy even now.
A smile is worth very little but it is more valuable than all the Swarovski crystals you can lay upon my feet, especially if the smile comes from a woman I love. I know that once she is gone, that smile will go with her and I will only have memories.
Good memories are worth very little, too, but are of great value. Not all the money of the King of Brunei can buy good memories.
Many people collect diamonds, and they’re worth a lot but they are of little value to a starving child in Africa. You can argue that he can sell the diamond but he doesn’t even have the strength to smile, how much more walk that mile that would save his life.
Reflections upon a pool of water are worth nothing but are of great value to me.
Sometimes I see the clouds floating upon a small window on earth and it gives me hope.
Sometimes it’s a church turret, or tree branches reaching for the sky, seeking answers about the seasons or the stars.
They are worth a lot to me because they cost nothing and because they speak to my heart Count your every cent of love and care. I am saying this because something painful happened to me this week and this is my way of releasing the pain positively.
A second cannot be retrieved once it passes by.
Making up with the people we’ve hurt may not patch the hole that neglect created. It may be too late. Like me, I hope this food for thought will make you pick the better choice.
The world will make it difficult, with all its varying voices and lures, deceptions and promises; however, gain the strength to count the value rather than the price of people, relationships, your very own peace of mind, your freedom, your very own life.
I’m off to the beach as soon as I e-mail this. I hope the sound of the waves will drown out the screams in my heart.
I hope the violent collision of water against the rocks will smash the ache that’s been gnawing at me all week. There are ironies in life. That’s all. (ober.khok@yahoo.com)
