Life that leaves a mark

“What punctuation marks would constitute your life if it were written down?”

This question by Averill Pizarro, a columnist, struck me and held me frozen for a moment. As a (self-proclaimed) grammar-conscious proofreader, I’m fully aware of the usage of each punctuation mark, but I must admit that I sometimes take them for granted, hardly noticing the tears spilling from them (or were they mine?).

Often, we don’t notice the unsolicited help that we get from punctuation marks. They guide us in constructing the foundation of our sentences. They condition us in setting the right tone of emotion in our speech. And, most importantly, they make us more human, allowing us to relate to each and every one, as we all tend to pause and take a breath when encountering one.

Now that the role of punctuation marks in our lives has dawned on me, I can answer the hanging question boggling my mind: What punctuation marks would constitute my life if it were written down?

My life would probably be decorated with colons of enumeration and explanation, and haloes of question marks, coupled with abrupt, exclamatory adrenalin rushes. It would also include having exhilarating ellipses (and letting others wonder and follow the trail), slashing of anxieties and selecting better choices in virgules of decisions, and debating with constant commas of notions, but making sure that I’ll end things with a point.

A life lived without punctuation marks is simply boring, breath-catching, pointless. I hope this would punctuate your fluctuating thoughts of complexities and mark your life of irrationalities.

John Patrick F. Solano, 22, is a technical associate at Solutions Insurance Brokers Inc.