IT TOOK a strong heartbeat, fierce, loud one to remind me of a sealed promise.
To sleep or to climb a mountain, these are the two options I had on a Saturday night. That same day specifically I had a very challenging exam.
With my bag ready, and my shoes all set, I departed for a trip of a lifetime to Paminhawa Ridge located in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. An adventure haphazardly planned but was permitted by the universe after many postponements.
Later I found myself inside a van which left Davao City around 10:30 p.m. and then arrived at Ant Farm in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon around 3 a.m.
Robbed of sleep, I walked and joined the group and then descended to the first part of the trail which was manageable, until we reached the bamboo bridge.
Seeing the bridge and the angry waters below, I had to firmly hold my flashlight and slowly walk, afraid, of course, that I would fall. Sweat broke out my forehead on that first challenge.
The stars and the crescent moon witnessed the short stops, the light conversations and all of these souls had never been and never would have imagined the long stretch of slope far up ahead.
Most of us took a rest at the stopping point before heading on. I slowly proceeded and found myself away from the big group and alone in the darkness. The fellow trekkers either far above me or still way below me. I had no choice but to move on.
With silence imposing, I thought I could ask God for something. Will this journey end favorably for me? Of all the weight I carried to follow a dream, would it bear some weight to push me above the sky?
I did not hear a sound. I was a bit disappointed. I could only hear my heartbeat loud as ever. Then it dawned. The message of survival and the key to achieving my goals are written in the beat of my heart.
There is no hard answer, fast paced, and consistently moving, once the heart beats it goes and it stops until its expiration. It goes up and it goes down, like the hill I embark, endless as I am alive, and for sure as I exist I’ll see the conclusion of my journey whether it will leave me with a broken wing or it will allow me to soar.
***
P.S. I had peace of mind as I reached the peak with full awesomeness and with grateful heart for another journey to remember and another memory to allow me smiling before I tuck myself to bed at night.
That moment that settled in my brain was the fact that there is no stopping what was set to exist all along. The time to survive and the time to die -- they’re all there. I felt grateful of how my heart beats, loud, imposing, and real. It never ceases to be, every day. In God’s faithful and special way I am who I am, I am who I will be.