Custodio: On changes, luck and putting your best foot forward

OKAY. I am still stuck on the New Year. Yes, it has been almost two weeks since 2014 but well, I have not really adjusted to it yet. It is quite safe to say that to quite a number of people (myself included), ushering in the new year requires a certain frame of mind that needs to be prepared to accept the changes that needed to be done. I actually have a few resolutions this year and I intend to get them done before 2015 comes. My resolutions, I would say, are humble and attainable and so its success will definitely depend on how I intend to see it through. We should all reach a point in our lives when we make plans for ourselves that we actually intend to achieve. After all, it is for our own good.

Our game plan for 2014 should be borne out of our want to do better than last year. We should aspire to further enhance our life experiences so that we continuously develop to become better people and citizens. We decide on our goals based on our reflections on the year that has passed, feeling confident that it will guide us to thread on the right path.

Of course, we do not rush into things without thinking. We have to learn from the past and be ready to embrace the future -consequences, misgivings and unexpected turns of events included.

Again, I am reminded that nothing in this world is permanent, except change. We are always aiming for something better. Events will keep on happening... whether we like it or not. We may not always agree with how the world turns but we always find ourselves negotiating the turn of events the best way we can. Every time we welcome a new year, it signals an opportunity for new beginnings. It gives each one a chance to start on a clear slate or improve previous situations. Hopefully.

We change with the times and we adapt to our surroundings too. I cannot help but notice how Davao now, is so much different from the Davao eons ago, the one I knew as a child. It looks so much different now. There are big malls, more buildings, more people. The traffic is worse, water interruption comes often and we now have flooding in the city! The fact that we have our own share of typhoons says a lot about how changes can be totally unexpected. For those who were born in Davao and grew up here, finding our city included in any typhoon's path can be quite appalling. Not in a million years did I ever expect that I would wake to a day when classes have been suspended due to rains brought about by a storm! These past few days, we have been having rainy, cold weather and it amuses me that I have friends asking whether classes would be suspended because of it! Who would have thought?

On my way to work, I am constantly reminded of how changes can alter not only how we see things but also what we see. On my usual route, I have literally seen a whole mountain disappear. In the past three years, I have gradually witnessed how my usual driving landscape has changed from being mountainous to beach/ocean view. Yes, it does create a somewhat calming view of the sea and of coconut trees lining the beach as the waves roll in BUT it is very disconcerting to realize that a few years back, these were totally 'invisible' because there used to be a mountain that blocked the view! I am constantly bothered by this change and wish it can be halted, but every single day that I ply through that route, I see less and less of the mountain and more of the sea. Sigh.

We learn to live with these uncomfortable facts and sort of take it from there. How do you accept changes in your life? Do your methods work most of the time? Hmmm. Isip.

Luck. Well, are you lucky? I always seem to find myself looking at multimedia sources for annual forecasts pertaining to my luck through the highs and lows of the coming twelve months of the year. Much as I would like to say that it does not really affect me..it does and well, 2014, according to the forecast, was going to be a challenging year for me. Uh-oh. I was initially filled with consternation and impending doom but then again, I remind myself that it is all a matter of perspective. When you see things in a negative light your path will always be dark.

However, when you see unfortunate events as opportunities to better yourself and temporary setbacks as vehicles for valuable life lessons, then, your path shall be strewn with pleasant surprises, faith and hope for things to get better eventually. Personally, I think luck is layman's term for divine intervention - whether it be God, the universe or the earth conspiring to make your life better. There are just moments in our lives when these 'miracles' happen, when the turn of events have no explanation.

We need to take a step and put our best foot forward in everything that we do if we expect grander things to happen. Or, at the least, for things to be okay. We should do this, despite contradicting forces that may already be existing or ay unexpectedly pop up along the way.

Foresight is a good thing to have, too. It helps you come up with Plan B just in case you need to rethink your plan of action. There will always be challenges that might force us out of the paths we have chosen but we need to really look at them as tests that determine how bent we are at achieving our goals. If we practice mindfulness and positive thinking, we do not see these challenges as walls that stand in our way but as ladders we need to climb to achieve greater heights on our way to realizing our goals.

Happy Sunday! ;)

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