The art of acceptance
One moment I was a student, the next I am among the thousands of souls who wander in the real world. I am no longer a part of school. I don’t anymore live a life where lessons are learned before the exams. Instead, exams are taken before I learn the lessons.
Where I am now was never a part of the plan. You see, when I entered college my plan was crystal-clear. Everything was laid down and each little detail was lucidly drawn. All I had to do was trace the lines.
But things have a certain way of flipping the tables.
I was too sure of working in Manila after graduation. Weeks before my final exit from college, I began applying to advertising firms in the metro. I got some calls for interviews, which I scheduled after graduation. I was so excited to finally be independent, to live in Manila, and to receive a high salary. It was such a relief to receive return calls. It only meant that the advertising firms were interested to hire me.
However, health reasons made me stay in Iloilo. I started looking for a job because I was eager to earn money. It was tough going to interviews and rejecting some job offers because the pay was too low. I had to accept that I am in the province where the starting pay is not the same as that in Manila. Finally, after weeks of applying online, I got a call from an events company. I grabbed the job.
The first days were rough. I had to accept that my plan was being delayed due to some reasons. I had to let that fact sink in. A few more days passed. I felt like everything was not worth it. The sweat and the draining mental ejaculations seemed not to gain rewards. But I plodded on.
I tore down the May page of my calendar. I survived one month of working. But the feeling I felt weeks ago was gone. I still have qualms, but I feel happy about my work, and for all the challenges I am actually giving myself. I feel happy because I don’t anymore feel the urge to work in the metro. I feel happy because I am contributing to the improvement of my province in my own little way.
Sometimes, things don’t go according to our plan. It may sadden us, frustrate us, discourage us from doing better. But I want to say that instead of shoving things where we want them to be, we have to learn the art of acceptance. That maybe God has His own plan. A better plan.
Roeyna May Famisaran, 21, is a communication and media studies graduate of the University of the Philippines Visayas.
