If you asked 18-year old me what my life would look like 12 years into the future, I’d probably describe something far from what it’s like this very day.
At one point, I told Jayson with utmost confidence that I’d have the time of my life the moment I turn 30 years old. I’d drink, smoke MJ, watch standup comedy, go on a road trip, sing karaoke all night, and eat as much cake as I wanted.
Well, things didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.
Luckily, my birthday did start out with love and gratitude. ❤️
My sister-in-law baked me a homemade chocolate cake for breakfast, which explains why I smelled cake baking in the oven at 10:30 in the evening the night before. I never expected anything like this that I rushed upstairs to snap a photo of this creation.
I spent the entire day at home with the kids, downloading games and listening to them voice stories out of their pixelated characters.
I soon felt the need to write something down, to whip out my Midori MD notebook and put my thoughts in paper.
There’s so much to be thankful for, but I summed it all up in 10. The last two needed the next page due to lack of space.
- Family. The people who love me, care for me, and are always there for me.
- Health. We’re all safe, healthy, and in good standing.
- Work. I’ve a full-time job with a company that does its best to take care of their employees and contractors.
- Tools. Books, journals, pens, the internet, and devices are available to keep me focused, do my job, and learn new skills.
- Memories. Photos, messages, and letters I treasure and share with my loved ones. The good ol’ days!
- Nature. I look out my window and know the world will heal. ❤️
- Generosity. People sharing their talents and gifts with the world. Social media and apps like YouTube and Gumroad have made these things possible.
- Service. Thank you to all the health workers, emergency service workers, drivers, custodial and sanitation workers, and everyone else who continue to serve those in need.
- Laughter. Children, comedians, funny animals, and hilarious stunts are all a breath of fresh air.
- God’s love. We’re best buds. If not for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
When the world fell ill
Last December, a pandemic broke out and affected millions of people across the world. None of us could have expected something as mysterious and frightening as SARS-CoV-2, a.k.a. Covid-19.
You can read all there is to know about this respiratory virus, but everyone is now social distancing—staying at home and keeping 3-6 feet away from others to flatten the curve and slow down its spread.
The city I live in is under enhanced quarantine to make sure we don’t have any more infections. Fortunately, Jayson and I were able to adjust to the changes quickly since we’ve worked remotely for almost a decade.
Others, however, are going through many unforeseen changes because of this transition.
- People were hoarding and buying things in bulk out of panic.
- People lost their jobs.
- Parents who were working at offices are struggling to juggle work and care for the younger children.
- Businesses have closed down.
- Schools have closed down. We don’t know if enrollment is happening this year.
- Those in poorer communities are struggling to follow quarantine guidelines because people are no longer going out to buy their products.
Our goal as a family is to stay at home 99% of the day and until it’s safe to come out. That 1% is for banking, groceries, trips to the pharmacy, and buying eggs or meat at a nearby marketplace during Tuesdays or Thursdays. If small businesses offer delivery services, we buy what we can and support them.
At the dinner table, we’d talk about how we miss going to the cinemas, playing at Adventureland, or having dinner at Cucina Higala or Ribs n’ Bibs. We’d take about future trips to Manila, the USA, and Japan as soon as the pandemic is over. I try to save these musings by writing them down or creating cards in Trello just so there’s something to look forward to once we make it to the end of the tunnel.
Am I writing again?
I went on a blogging hiatus after publishing that last post in July. I didn’t properly share the reasons why I did that here—really sorry about that!
I can’t remember the details, but I remember feeling disconnected with my writing. I didn’t read as much as I should’ve, I didn’t finish my poetry collection, and I didn’t have any motivation to sustain my stationery business. I’d only sign in to my WordPress blog to update its themes and plugins.
At the end of the day, I didn’t finish what I started. I felt I had failed again in 2019.
2020 feels like it isn’t any brighter, but it’s still an opportunity to start again.
I’m keeping to my 2019 mantra this year of finishing what I started, but I won’t make any promises or grand announcements until I’ve something concrete the share on this blog.
Ultimately, I want to read and write even more in an effort to keep up with all that’s been happening. I turn to my journals and pens when my mind’s full and my heart is heavy.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to maintain a blogging routine again, but I do want to share important events and achievements more frequently.
That being said, here’s a recap of what has happened since July 2019:
- We bought a new car—the Subaru Forester 2019 edition. ?
- I’ve made the transition to work full-time as a documentation writer for 1Password. ?
- Jayson and I went on our first trip to the USA. ✈️ How did it go? He didn’t handle the jet lag as well as I did.
- I attended my 2nd company conference. We went to the Bahamas. ?️
- Jayson and I watched Broadway twice together. ?
- Coronavirus happened. ?
- Holly had her 10th birthday with her friends. She also got her phone.
- We’ve been playing Pokemon Shield and Animal Crossing on the Switch Lite as a family.
- All three kids ended the school year with honors. ?
If you’ve gotten this far into my reflection, thank you so much. It means everything to someone like me who constantly battles self-doubt and lack of confidence.
I look forward to continuing Diwa Daily and growing as a writer as the second quarter of 2020 begins.
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