Love is the answer

What do you want to see when you wake up in the morning? 

A question bestowed upon us by Professor Corazon Alma De Leon this morning. As I pondered about this, initially, I thought of an ideal state: serenity. A world without chaos, war, poverty or famine. A perfect place to live, a paradise so to speak. But let's face it, utopia - a state of things in which everything is perfect - does not actually exist. 

Now that I thought about it much longer, I would really want to see the ceiling of my room instead of the underside of a coffin lid when I wake up in the morning. I want to wake up in the same bed I slept in. In other words, I want to see a new life, a new day each time I wake up. I want to see my mom and brother and my two dogs, Kami and Egoy, alive and well. I want a view of the sky and look at the flowers and the trees in our so called garden. More importantly, I want to wake up every morning, breathe and see the wonders of God's creation. My dusty sea shell wall clock, the teddy bear prints of my blanket, my dilapidated cabinet, my cluttered study table and my filthy electric fan. Just by being able to see these imperfections, I am reminded of the blessing of life I receive from God each day. 

I know most of us are uncomfortable looking at ourselves in the mirror when we wake up in the morning simply because we are reluctant to see our (physical) flaws. On the contrary, I like seeing these flaws for they are indications that the world I am in is far from an inception or an imagination. If you have created an overall love filled, love oriented life; waking up in the morning and looking into those smiling loving eyes and facing your self created life is pleasant again and again. If however you have some difficulties in waking up, then you are most likely missing something in your life or have made pretty poor decisions that you are hesitant to face.

I am very grateful to have heard Ava Cariquez speak about her self created life this morning in class. Her unusual life experiences and how she faced them was very inspiring. Her story led me to believe that we truly are the masters of our lives. We each create our own eternal happiness, we are the "captain of our soul" and hence the master of our future as well. If our present is pleasant then the hours and the day after waking up is as pleasant as you have made them and whatever is pleasant to you will be pleasant to all. Being in prison for eleven (11) years changed Ava as a person. From someone who do not see life's worth, her daughter's death and being sentenced to reclusion perpetua led Ava to become a woman for others. Saying that life is difficult for Ava is an understatement being perhaps the only Atenean who was affirmed of the sentence and placed in the women's correctional for a crime (parricide) she had no recollection of committing. It is really tough to be fully receptive to enjoy, create and improve on our joy day by day given the problems we face. But we have to recognize that each time we wake up in the morning is a possible door to another happy day full of new and exciting adventures. If you create the basis of such joy and happiness by adding love in what you do, you create a life of your own. Ava's story taught me to improve on love in my life by developing a true spirituality and an intimate relationship with God and all of his creations. It is my responsibility to create my own satisfying life. It is a divine duty to either be delightful to everyone or ensure that no one ever gets bothered by my being unhappy or annoyed and my constant complaining. Moreso, it is a divine and moral obligation to be a source of joy to all mankind, animals, nature, and to God as well. God gave us equal resources and equal potential. The difference we see among us is simply a result or expression of the misuse of such equal chances and potential. For Ava who accepted all challenges in her life, she was able to see and value the simple joys of life. With that I discovered that the faster you accept all the challenges given to you, the more experiences and skills you will have and the stronger and more sweet your life will be.

From all the things I noticed and heard today, I realized that life is an awful big adventure and I have to be willing to take risks or try out new methods, ideas or experiences in order to see its value. Mainly,  amidst the hullabaloo, I am still able to stand up and say, that's the way the cookie crumbles. But above all, I fathomed that love is truly the answer. Love for myself and love for others. Love is what I would really like to see when I wake up in the morning.