Happy 4th everyone!
It has been almost a year since I moved to the beautiful city of Chicago and it is my first time to celebrate this important day. Today, I find myself alone in the apartment resting on a yoga mat post workout (Note: I live with three other housemates). In this brief solitude, a deep sense of pride washed over me. “A lot” is an understatement for the things that happened this year. This year seems like eating a whole serving of Halo- halo, andun na lahat. Anyway, “Nakaya mo girl! Ang galing mo.”, I thought to myself. I have learned to become more independent and have truly understood what resilience means. These 11 months away from home gave me the opportunity to know myself fully well. I learned to see certain attributes about myself that I want to outgrow as I age and I saw strengths that I didn’t know I had. I have learned to love myself more. Maybe that’s the magic of moving. It gives you a sense of freedom – the freedom to know yourself better and the freedom to understand the world a little more. So here I am still sitting on this yoga mat typing away these thoughts for my first blog post.
My first post goes to you. To you, the independent person who is always second guessing himself/herself. To you who is confused and getting bouts of insecurity and anxiety, especially now that everything seems to be in a halt. Think about what you have been through and…
Be proud of yourself.
For choosing to grow.
For not stopping. Maybe taking a break. But never stopping.
For admitting to your failures. You’re just going to come out stronger and wiser.
For having the courage to start over.
Be proud of yourself.
For still doing the dishes and laundry after a tough day at work.
For cleaning the bathroom when you can just easily ignore the stains on the floor and the walls.
For choosing to exercise everyday but also be proud of yourself for finishing that sinful hotdog from Gene and Jude’s. You do not need a reason to eat that hotdog. Eat it. Enjoy.
For choosing to eat healthy foods while in quarantine but also be proud of yourself for admitting that today or this week was tougher than usual and that a bag or 2 of Doritos is all you need.
Be proud of yourself.
For graduating despite being in a pandemic. You did it!
For still choosing to enroll this school year especially now that we’re in a pandemic. Remote learning is hard but you are going get through this!
For still going to work. Even when it’s challenging, you still find a way around to make “work” work.
For sticking to your budget. It’s hard but you’re going to get through this. You will find a way.
Be proud of yourself.
That despite missing home, you still go through your day like it were a usual one.
For finally holding yourself accountable for your actions.
For asking for help. It takes courage to be vulnerable in front of others.
For still staying strong despite of losses – a job, a loved one, a pet. Feel resigned that whatever’s lost will be filled with so much more.
For being able to take care of your family after all this time or for being a family to someone who needs one.
For keeping in touch with your friends. We need each other now more than ever.
For learning how to truly forgive, for repairing broken relationships, or for choosing yourself by walking away from toxic relationships.
For finally choosing to do what makes you happy. Be proud of yourself for finally posting that song cover, for finally baking that cookie, for finally opening up that business that you have been wanting to do years back! So proud of you! Everything is passing. Do it! Do what makes you happy!
For still sticking to your values and principles especially when “right” has become relative. Or let me rephrase that – especially when “everything” is relative.
Be proud of yourself.
For willing yourself to have an open mind. That by seeing more of the world, you are able to understand what life is like through another person’s eyes and that you have become a kinder, better person than you were before.
For staying healthy and being mindful of others’ health by staying inside, wearing a mask in public, washing your hands frequently, doing the grocery for your parents and grandparents, and practicing social distancing.
That despite your individual struggles, you are choosing to care about the issues the world is facing right now. Inequity is real and it is deeply embedded in the society. Be proud of yourself for finally choosing to look out for others, for listening, for taking a stand, and for taking action.
At the end of it all, maybe all I wanted to say is never second guess yourself. You have come so far. You are such a strong person. You have so much life within you. Know that wherever you are in your life right now, you are doing great and that all of the tears, pain, and the hardwork is all worth it because at the end of the day, you are sticking to your purpose. You are sticking to “you” and that’s what matters.
Happy Independence Day y’all! Thank you for reading this post. More to come!
Nagmamahal,
The Grateful Filipina
