Life Lessons Lately

After a month of not writing any posts, I decided to summarize my realizations lately. Grabe. Ang daming nangyari. I could only look back and try to write what comes into my mind now. I’ve written here what I need to remember. Ayokong kalimutan talaga, dahil very personal ito sa akin.

Here are some of my takeaways about life.

Not all people will support your cause.

No matter how supportive you are to your friends, they will always have reasons not to support you. It’s not that I feel bad about them for not supporting me/us but a reply will do. An honest reply. Unfortunately, they didn’t even bother opening my message.

I feel so dismayed. But maybe, I need to understand by now that not all people will really support you and that’s okay. What truly matterst are the people who are willing to support you.

I also realized that people have different priorities, and maybe my concern is not their concern. Maybe I just expected too much. I believe I need to expect that much from other people.

Health is wealth.

I know, this is so cliche. But I needed to remind myself several times because I tend to overwork. When I wake up, I think about my to-do lists. I always want to finish my tasks before the deadline so I always work in advance. And of course, sometimes, working in advance may result to disappointments (again). I sometimes skip breakfast if I am on the mood to work.

Since I seldom rest, my body somehow gave up. There was a time when I vomitted after waking up. My body felt so tired. I didn’t realize that my body is now asking me to rest. I was so occupied with my to-do lists that made me forget to rest.

So I just slept the whole day and rested.

The next day, I felt better. Because of this incident, I became more mindful on how I treat my tasks. I scheduled a rest or break for myself, too. I allocated time when to check my work email, and when to check my social media accounts. I also became more mindful of my diet and food intake. Less coffee and caffeine I guess?

Saying no (again).

I refused to a lot of side gigs lately especially if they aren’t good for my mental health. Saying no became easier for me since I practiced this a lot. How did I do this? I set my priorities first. I tried to determine what really matters for me. Then, after that, I would only work on things that would align to my values and priorities. I also said no when I feel so overworked with the tasks.

If you’ve been reading my blog (wow assuming), I was invited to different webinars. Biggest size would be more than five thousand (peak of pandemic). I was also paid to train teachers online and sometimes onsite. This was because of God’s grace. Yihh. Honestly, this happened because of my friend in MA who trusted me first to become a speaker. This made me work hard. Huhu.

I would give free talks when it is for public school, and for church activities as long as I was given enough time to prepare. However, there was a time when I was only given a week to prepare, a video recording of one hour to produce, and a very difficult topic to review. The 2020 Kim would find way to make this webinar possible, but the 2022 Kim realized that it’s okay to say no, for real.

Generally, I am happy and contented on where I am today. I have an opportunity to work from home. I have a lot of time to volunteer in our church. I couldn’t ask for more.

What are your life lessons lately? Care to share? 😀

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You need to rest, really.

This is my third post for this month! Yey! Usually, it takes me months to post a blog. I am grateful with the gift of time.

Life update! I am currently (technically) unemployed because I focused on freelancing. I now have the luxury of time to do the things I really love. This includes writing.

In my other blog post, I wrote about how silence helps people become stronger. Silence and rest go hand in hand. As if they’re a tandem.

For today, I unearthed this 2021 blog in my drafts about rest.

When was the last time that you REALLY rest?

Like, you do not check on your phone, do not read email, do not reply to urgent private messages, or answer calls related to work or a side hustle?

Has it been a long time?

I have a problem resting. It’s my weakness. I work a lot. I make sure that my schedule is filled with activities. I don’t want to be idle. There’s a time when I even work on weekends. However, this should not be a habit. It’s really tiring at the end of the day. (I have two eyebags.)

Time came when I felt really tired. I felt like I was only dragging myself to work. My mind couldn’t come up with creativity and aesthetically pleasing thoughts. With this, I knew that I needed to rest.

Rest is a reminder that we, humans, need a break. We need to pause. This pause does not mean that we are giving up, but we are just taking a break from everything.

After the pause, we move forward and start functioning again.

Rest is a reminder that we need to relax. Think of ourselves. Remember that we have a family who wait for us. For some, maybe they have a puppy who’s waiting for them, too. (In my case, tyni (a shih tzu).)

In Filipino, rest is translated as pahinga. The root word of pahinga is hinga, which means to breathe.

Rest is a must. It doesn’t have to be a luxurious activity. But, it should be as simple as finding time for deep breathe.

When I feel so exhausted after a productive day, I pause and breathe consciously. This has been my calming way of resting since 2019.

When I feel overwhelmed, I read books to escape from my reality. Highlighting text from the book is relaxing for me. Then, I copy these notes in my journal. When I feel uncreative, I watch anime on Netflix.

You need to rest, really. It’s a gift that you should not leave unopened.

When was the last time that you really rest? Feel free to share your thoughts in the chat box. 🙂

God is working in your waiting.

What do you do when you wait?

I’ve observed some people in the bank while waiting for my turn. Some people, while they’re waiting for their turn, they check on their phones. Some people talk to the person next to them. Some people just simply look at the counter and the teller as if, they’re creating a story in their minds.

Waiting doesn’t only happen in the banks. It happens every single day in our lives. Sometimes, it’s scary. Sometimes, it’s disheartening. But don’t forget that it is worthwhile all the time.

Here are my realizations about waiting.

Waiting when you’re all alone is scary. Sometimes, you question yourself, your identity, and your skills. “Is there something wrong with me?” you asked. “What should I do now?” you asked again. But, when you wait with the people you love, your heart is filled with joy. There is joy in waiting.

Waiting is a test of your patience. Maybe, God is teaching you an important lesson in your waiting. He wants you to learn something. He wants you to realize some things that you tend to forget. Maybe, He also wants you to recollect, or reminisce very valuable memories. Maybe there’s still unfinished chapter in your life.

Waiting also means that we trust God and His immense power over our lives. No matter how difficult is it to wait, we still ask Him to bless us, and guide us in this phase.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Waiting is a reminder that we are weak and it’s the Lord who’s making and keeping us strong. We may have plans, but the Lord has bigger and better plans for us. We just need to acknowledge His promise. Let’s trust His will. Our understanding is limited. We can only plan what we know, but when we lift up everything to God, we know that we are on the right track.

May your waiting be fruitful and meaningful, friends.