One Friday afternoon after class she (my Literature teacher) called me to join her up front --with my notebook. She was at her desk reviewing the essays the class made- our assignment the day before. When I had seated myself across her writing table she looked up and said “So what have you been scribbling while I wasn’t looking?” she teased with a smile. I smiled back sheepishly and showed her the notebook. She went through the quotes and looked at me with a merry glint in her kind eyes “So tell me your thoughts”.
-------------------------------
"We are all cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." -Ray Bradbury
I am a cup holding immense treasure of insights, perceptions, imaginations, and experiences which can enthrall a willing listener or encourage some troubled soul. I can touch other lives with what is contained within me – my life story, my uniqueness, wisdom and distinct creativity -- All wonderful gifts from a wonderful God. Yet all that would be for naught if I do not try to share it or work it that others may benefit well from it. So therefore I must choose to empty the cup that is me and trickle out the best from within – bring it out to where or who it can best serve for a bigger greater cause – sharing and learning. And that is so beautiful whichever way you look at it!
-------------------------------
"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them." -Benjamin Jowett
Many have tried to beat this and yet failed because man in his seemingly human frailty would always desire for recognition, admiration, appreciation, praise, acclaim, glory or whatever it takes to beef up his ego and pride. Ask any person or group working on a particular project, this attitude almost always gets in the way of efficiency. I’ve heard this often from Mom that “too many cooks spoil the broth”. Ah but truly with everybody wanting to get his own finger into the same pie – would certainly spoil the pie. We all think that only our ideas deserve to be considered - our system adapted - over the other guy. Ours is the right one; his- the wrong one. One other thing that always gets our goat is when our supposed effort isn’t accorded the recognition or accolade we think is its due in bit or whole. We feel slighted by that. So we quarrel, backstab, argue, bicker, squabble over who is better and who should get credit thereby leaving the said project to fry by itself alone and untouched. Thus nothing gets done, nothing is accomplished –and all for the love of -- not money but ‘credit’.
-------------------------------
I hate goodbyes-- am not very good at it either. I can’t make sense with my goodbyes, I simply ramble on with words I don’t even recognize or feel. So I guess it falls flat – sounding unconvincing to the person I may be saying it to.
I generally like people although I may not like everybody I meet, do respect and admire a good number, and love several. They matter in their respective individual space or niche and in turn may in some way or another affect me in diverse ways and manner lending color or interest to my small life. Some can be so endearing and others quite offending. A few succeed to be quite obnoxious and pesky while others warm the heart so delightfully. Truly without them life would simply be such a bland and boring existence. People indeed do make the world go round.
Too, people come and go in our lives. Some may stay longer, others for a short bit, and a greater number perhaps will simply be passing through. Every one of them and in every way possible touch our life and we theirs. Here we create a bond or relationship, and friendships carrying us through wonderful experiences, moments and memories -- The stronger the bond, the harder to let go when it will or should.
When time sends off a friend to another journey or direction leaving me or the relationship behind, I tend to ache deeply inside. This act of saying ‘goodbye’ seems so final – like a pair of scissors cutting or severing this precious tie, connection, link, attachment or whatever other name it’s called which has already been created with another person. Can you imagine investing your emotions, energy, time and effort nurturing that relationship and nonetheless lose it in the end not through anyone’s fault but because fate intervened?
A friend had told me once before that ‘departure is the close cousin of arrival’, inseparable duo-- Corny fella but wise. I guess it’s now up to me to live with that. So what is there left to ease the pain?
There's no use in weeping,
Though we are condemned to part:
There's such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one's heart...
-Charlotte Bronte, Parting
-------------------------------
Teacher looked at me – her face lit up with a light I’ve never seen before. Then she picked up her books, which I took as a sign that our session was over, and made for the door. Before stepping out, she turned to me and said ‘put this down in your notebook too ---
Their story, yours and mine – it’s what we all carry with us on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them. -William Carlos Williams
posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 7:02 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment