Picture this:
You're an only child and a single mother.
You take care of your 86-year-old father whose favorite pastimes are worrying and whining. Stress is his time-tested form of therapy. While it is true that stress kills, stress is what makes him fully alive hehehe . . .
You long for the tender, loving, care of your mother who has been an OFW (Out For Work) for as long as you can remember. You have been missing her since your infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. You desperately want to catch up with her through your golden years but at 76, she's still very much alive and active with her chosen career. You only get to feel her warmth and positive presence during Saturdays and Sundays 'coz she works and lives away from home during week days.
You battle it out with your 13-year-old son every single day. They say God is so providential that He gave parents 12 years to develop the unconditional love for their children before they turn into monster aliens whom we call teenagers. You may be the Judge of the Supreme Court but you won't stand a chance against my son. He's simply too smart and manipulative.
You gather all your reserved patience, strength and energy to tutor your special child everyday and bring her to therapy every Saturday. Some parents swear that having 1 special child is equivalent to having 10 normal children.
You fantasize of having a supportive husband to share your sorrows, pain and suffering but you realize that he's only a figment of your wild imagination.
Yes, we did not choose to be alive in this world.
BUT WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY, NO MATTER WHAT LIFE BRINGS.
Hence, I will no longer wait for my father to have a change of heart before I make myself happy (but I won't stop hoping). I choose to be happy NOW. If I were to be a punching bag to prolong my father's life, I will be the happy punching bag.
I will no longer wait for my mother to retire in order to be happy. (There's no retirement in sales. Contract with the company only expires in case of permanent disability or death.) I will treasure every moment that she's with me. I choose to be happy NOW, even if I'll never understand how she managed to survive a life away from her only daughter.
Yes, I know I will probably lose upcoming battles of wit with Gio but I will never lose my love for my only son. I will say goodbye to hurt and misery and choose to be happy NOW.
My daughter with Down Syndrome may never finish school but that's alright with me. I choose to be happy NOW, and not wait until she speaks clearly and know when it's New Year's Day. (Eia can sing the whole soundtrack of HS Musical 1, 2, and 3 but couldn't remember that Jan. 1 is New Year's Day!)
Let's not wait for our dreams to come true before we can be truly happy.
CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY NOW. (but I'll be happier if I find a partner who'll run all the way with me through eternity hah hah . . . )
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