Today is the first day for our follow-up in Sitio Labey, Ambuklao, Bokod, Benguet. The weather is, as always, cool throughout the day. However, in the afternoon at 12NN, the sun’s heat energy becomes overpowering that it can get hot inside a building without roof insulation. But this lasts only about two hours. At around 5PM it will become drastically cooler. A visitor in this area will know that the farmers have accomplished most of their farming duties; the children have gone home from school; housewives start preparing dinner for their families. It is because the minimal noises coming from the highlands begin to sound even fainter. Silence and calmness envelop the area. A cool breeze sweeps over the mountains.
At this point, a myriad of emotions start to flood my brain: nostalgia, peace, contentment, empathy. After feeling these, my brain would start dissecting why do I feel these, what are the other emotions related to these feelings, and eventually I start to think deeper about myself; I start to reflect; I start to evaluate myself. And most of the time, the end emotion that I fall into is sadness that is quickly replaced with gratitude.
Despite my failures and achieving below what I expect for myself, my brain still justifies what I’ve done in my life. Perhaps that’s why I still feel grateful. I’ve read an article that our brains are rationalising machines. We rationalise many things so that we can accept situations even if we consciously know it is against societal norms, against morality, against our health, against everything. It’s amazing how brains work; I’m so fascinated by it. The human brain is, perhaps, the most POWERFUL computing machine ever! And I’m not just talking about conscious computing, like being amazing in Algebra, Calculus, Statistics, solving Differential Equations or deriving Integrals (yuck!). What if we create a code for every bodily function, can you imagine that? WOW! Just think of the complex algorithms needed for EVERY reaction that happens in our body! And the brain is the central processing unit of all that! It blows my mind every time!
Okay I seem to have digressed from the topic. Let’s go back to being grateful…
I read a quote that says: If life throws you lemons, make lemonade. Hahaha! So instead of wallowing on what's negative, turn it into something positive! At the end of the day I reflect on what happened and I count my blessings. And this helps me to turn my lemons into lemonade. I love my life and my family and I've been blessed abundantly by the Lord. I'm very thankful for the life I've been given and I want to live it to the fullest by serving others. :)
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