Sunday, January 06, 2008 Singlestalk: It’s 2008! By Darwin John Moises and Michelle Mendez-Palmares Singlestalk
Michelle: How time flies when one’s having fun! Or should I say how fun when time flies. Can you imagine that it’s 2008 already? It seemed only like a few months ago when I literally welcomed 2007 with a bang. After last year’s whirlwind of activities that saw many changes in each of our lives, it’s again another year of endless possibilities.
DJ: It’s 2008, Mic! A good friend gave me a Dachshund for Christmas. Now it has become a reminder that life is not and should not be just about me. And I’m not actually suggesting that let’s have more focus, this time, on the circus-slash-telenovela like state of our country. That’s not what I can call quality time. A well-spent time can mean taking a step back to reflect on the year that was. The chaos brought by year-end commitments might have not allowed some of us to pause and be still. And to some of our readers, this might be the time to re-think about a relationship that is not working or cannot work out. Let’s kick the crap out of the boxes we sometimes put ourselves in, to once again recommit to live life with passion and zeal. Every once in a while we need to let the spotlight shine on the genius inside all of us!
M: We usually have New Year’s resolutions that eventually become next year’s resolutions! I for one have been resolving to lose weight since time immemorial! To successfully do what I must do, I have to decide every day to act on my resolution. It requires total commitment. But more importantly, I believe that the best thing I should focus my mind and heart on is to keep living God’s purpose for me—as a good wife to my husband and mother to my son. This requires an even greater commitment.
DJ: Yup. At times, it is better to have realistic, achievable and practical life goals. This year, for example, I commit to monitor my gas usage and to review my basic expenses each month to see where my money is going. It’ll speak of my priorities and the choices I make. I have also resolved to finally attend my boxing classes and spend more time making music with … my keyboard. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a new love. 2007 was the year I loved and lost. Being on the road again this year is definitely a refreshing slap on the phase of being “on avail”! Whatever is the outcome, this is also the year that some of us will have to quit blaming the other person, the ambiance, the heat of the moment or even the full moon and admit full responsibility for our sometimes impetuous decisions.
M: That’s interesting! And if we haven’t yet discovered what our life’s purpose is, we have the whole of 2008 to seek and know what it is. I suggest that we all start going though a drawer full of stuff; feeling around, looking for something that we are sure must be in the drawer somewhere. It would be good to make an “examination” of our life this past year, while putting emphasis on the varied feelings we had about our experiences. The goal is not simply recalling from memory our past year’s experience, but also to have the grace to understand those experiences.
DJ: Fiona, we got your e-mail and we will tackle that on next Sunday’s issue.
In the meantime, let’s take this new week a chance to better understand our experiences, to acknowledge our strength as human beings, to use them wisely and responsibly, and to hope that people would be more accepting of our faults and weaknesses. It’s okay to be unique. As long as our presence does not make people exceedingly nervous, it’s cool to be a misfit sometimes. Let’s acknowledge the chinks we find in our world-weary armor.
Who knows, they may just bring out the real “superheroes” in you! Besides, it is almost impossible to feel bad when we are busy feeling good!
