He was one of the many who urged me to go on. "It is alright to be down", said the man, Kuya Ike, our facilitator during the retreat. I don't remember his voice but the silhouette of his face is engraved in my heart.He added, "But what's not alright is to stay down."
As I reflect in my life, I realized that it is full of yes and downs; and downs affect me the most. Sometimes, I want to be someone else so I can escape life's merciless challenges. My father's high blood pressure often visits him and affects his work. My sister got pregnant but her son is fatherless. My mother has to make a living to support the baby, the rest of the family and my studies. Sometimes, she'll cry and ask the same old question, "Why is this happening to us?"
As the youngest and the only one still studying, I feel that a great responsibility is yoked on my back, added by the expectations of my parents and pressure from school. I want to stop and break down but I always remember what he said. He explained that our life is a journey full of tricks which take the form of problems. "And problems", he added, "will pull you down. But sometimes it is where you find the meaning of the journey. Everything happens for a reason. Therefore, you should know the lesson behind your mistakes. It will be your fuel for a journey of a lifetime."
I may not remember his voice, but at least after our retreat I am able to live to the things he had said, wrote it on a blog and inspire others.
