Have you ever experienced sitting alone, watching the rain pour outside while thinking about uncherished memories?
I feel the same way, realizing how quickly time passes. I miss the days when all I had to do was sit and watch cartoons, laugh out loud and watch my mom struggle to make me fall asleep in the afternoon.
Now that we are growing older, our parents are slowly aging and our loved ones are gradually passing away. A part of me tries not to be affected because I still have people who truly believe in me and inspire me, especially as I continue my journey in academics. Those people are my family and friends. From the the day I was born, they were there for me, saw everything. They witnessed the first time I walked, the first time I ate and the first time I spoke out the word “mama.” I found myself missing the times when I laughed in happiness, cried after tripping, or felt upset because I did not get the toy I wanted.
Everything feels so different now. Before, I dreamed of growing up, trying new things and being happy and free — but this is not what I expected. Life is now filled with assignment deadlines, group presentations, household chores and the need to be independent in all ways. Everything feels so different that I sometimes wish I could turn back time to when I was a little girl with nothing to do but play games and do silly things. My cousins began to part ways, think more maturely, enter adolescence and eventually do things we once promised we would never do. I learned that we cannot do anything but accept the fact that we cannot turn back time. Instead, we must learn to grow in peace, with love, patience and support from others — especially our loved ones. They will pass by, but those precious moments will never fade; instead, those memories will stay forever in our hearts.
Some say, “Life is short, so live it to the fullest.” I believe this saying is true — we should make the best out of it. We should treasure every moment because we never know if it will be one of our last memories with a certain person. You may regret the moments when you chose actions that disappointed others. If I were you, I would pursue my dreams, love even those who hate me, be content, be happy, be myself and live life fully — because we only live once. / Eliana Jolie Borden, Abellana National School