To Endure

Dali's Galatea of the Spheres

'It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation.  Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, "Wait on time."' ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Not frobly-mobly

"Frobly-mobly" means neither well nor unwell. Fun fact.

It would appear that Disney has a supply of apt videos for my recent blog posts--I encourage you to watch the famous song "Reflection" from the film Mulan, which was sung by none other than Tony Award-winning and fellow Filipina Lea Salonga...
 

It seems that we all put on a mask to measure up to whatever standards are imposed by our environment. Even if one has achieved what is expected (e.g. wealth, education, etc.), deep within there is an undeniable insatiability that is sometimes mistaken as the need to level-up one's goals.  Most of the ruminations in our head are really fed by wanting to be affirmed by others.  We forget that we should put ourselves right on top of the pecking order. Of course, it's easier said than done especially if our personal happiness is tightly linked to other people's happiness.  The first step is to "sshh" our minds as Chris Evans suggests in this feature.

As for me, I realized that there's a need to constantly remind myself that I have control over how attached I should be about my thoughts, because I forget--just like Dory from Finding Nemo. Much of the anxious feelings I experience are due to over-examination or over-interpretation of certain events or encounters, which is probably the case for most of us.  So it's useful to tell one's self: "*insert your name*, ssshh."   

On appreciating the process of living

Hakuna Matata...it means no worries for the rest of your days. It's our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata! ~Timon and Pumbaa

I have tried to commence 2018 with a positive outlook by looking at the bigger picture so as to scan aspects of my life that I've put on the lower tiers of my priority list last year (e.g. physical health, better parenting skills, arts & humanities, recreation, travel, etc.). In relation to the preceding blog post, 2017 was certainly a pivotal period. You know that feeling when you're going through something significantly challenging and what keeps you moving is the oasis of that day when that challenge becomes a thing of the past? I'm at that moment now--that moment of relief.  Relief and (interestingly) separation anxiety...sepanx. Not the disorder, but the millenial slang for the feeling you get when you have to uncling to something. Let's face it, we all wake up each day because of the things that drive us to achieve a fulfilled life.

I once thought that life would proceed the way I would like for it to happen if I just stay on track and tick all the required boxes. I was going to be a musician, physician, person with PhD, housewife...like a determined Pac-Man who ends up arriving at an unintended place. 

Going this way, oh okay, this way, uh (stuck in a rut), oh this is where I'm supposed to be.

I remember a previous post I wrote about focusing on the process of thriving and basking in the entire spectrum of human emotions.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson famously stated, Life is a journey, not a destination.