learning from people

may nabasa ako minsan na kapag bukas daw ang iyong isipan, marami kang matututunan sa  ibang tao.  narinig ko na rin ito sa tatay ko. sabi niya, may matututunan ka kahit sa pinaka-boring na tao kung matututo kang makinig.

kaya ngayon, i want to practice learning even from the person i'd rather be out of my sight:

1. be compassionate: when other people are having trouble, take time to see what you can contribute to make things right. (do not do what she does - nag people about how they suck or what should have been.  if you can't help, don't add to the stress)

2. learn how to focus: know your goal/s.  there are too many problems out there and you cannot solve all of them.  but you can contribute if you focus your energy on one or three related goals. wag kang maging butiki na pilit inaakap ang poste.

3. being generous and helpful is better appreciated than being right. this is mixed with my learnings from my lola madre who recently passed away.  she helped people in her quiet ways.  now that she has joined the Maker, people whom  she helped attested to how their lives where touched by our lola. that got me to thinking, am i doing my share of helping alleviate other people's sufferings? or am i just like some people who condoles and says words of "wisdom" and "awa" only to people she likes. 

Love is the answer

one Tuesday morning, while in a long queue at a terminal going to Manila, a woman approached and seems to be looking for something or someone. at that instance, i had a gut feel that she's trying to look for a "short-cut" to the long queue and she did. how? long story. that is not what i intend to write about.

as i was mulling over the thought of calling her attention and has every intention of humiliating her, i asked myself.  why would i want to do that? of course my answer is: because what she's doing is not right. there are other people in line who were there before her and it is not right for her to do that. how should i do it? tell her off.  and then, I thought of asking God. what could be a better motive or intention on calling on her bad behaviour other than to humiliate or to correct a wrongdoing? As I asked God, I was busy thinking of reasons why I need to "correct" her.  Then in the middle of my rationalizing, I stopped myself.  I tried to still my thoughts and let God talk to me.

and truly God answers questions asked in prayer.  He said, "love".

I realized, God does talk to us.  he answers our questions. The reason why we don't hear it is we are too busy with our own thoughts. We are busy rationalizing. We ask questions but are not really interested in the answer. Or we want His answers to coincide with what we think should be.

Love is the reason why we need to right what is wrong.  Its not for vendetta or to put others to shame. Nor is it for righteousness sake.  Parents discipline their children not because they want to punish, but because they want their children to walk the straight path, because they love their children (most I think).

This is actually scary and exciting.  I am excited that I could talk to God and He'll answer.  I am scared because I don't think I'm ready for His answers. I am holding on to my "idols" as Bro. Bo said.

love is a choice

nung maging tayo, nangako ako na ikaw na ang huli.  bakit ko nga ba nasabi yun?

bago ka dumating sa buhay ko, dumaan na ako sa maraming relasyon.  mga relasyong nagsimula sa masidhing damdamin, na natapos din sa masidhing pagkamuhi.  mga relasyong natapos sa hindi magandang paraan. mga relasyong nasira dahil sa tawag ng bagong damdamin.

ngayong binabalikan ko ang alaala ng lumipas na relasyon, napag isip-isip ko na nagpatangay sila sa pang akit ng bago.  at nagpadala sa damdaming ito ika nga ng awit ni Sampaguita - "...isip ay nalilito, pag nakakita ng bago..."

hindi ko ipinangakong hindi titingin sa iba, at di ko rin ipinangakong hindi titibok ang puso sa bagong kakilala. mabuti naman at hindi ko ginawa yun. kasi lagi akong napapatingin sa iba, at may pagkakataon pang nahuhulog ang loob ko sa kanila.

ang puso, may kapasidad siyang magmahal ng marami. hindi ba at mahal natin ang ating magulang, ang ating mga kapatid, ang ating mga kaibigan? pero mahal natin sila ng magkakaibang intensity at lalim. oo nga, pwedeng magmahal ng marami.

magmamahal at magmamahal ako ng iba. pero ikaw at ikaw ang pipiliin ko. mananatili na lang silang lahat sa puso ko. pero ikaw, mananatili ka sa puso, isip at buhay ko.