Tuesday Beautiful

Tuesday. 26th October. Jen's SMS woke me up. Turned on my PC. And so my yellow caterpillar started squeaking. Bok Wenggay and Maweng Jena were early birds at FB :). Bok urging me to go with her at Uniwide, sabi ko sa Friday na lang, hopefully it's payday, my CITEM cheque for my so-called terminal benefits ready for pick-up, then my friend and I can go shop till we drop at US, and later try to quietly celeb Betong's birthday. He would have been 41 years old on Friday :(. Ambet.

And Jen ...

A brief lesson on compartmentalizing happiness knowing there are some (at times, major) parts in our lives you can't easily jusz be happy at. It doesn't mean you can't be happy at all. I have learned this trick after a series of misfortunes in important aspects of my life. Sometimes happiness is cystallized, Human nature sez happiness should be larger than life all the time. But then, when you try to build up your fortress of happiness, you can actually make use of those pulverized pieces, those little joys they amount to something, too. And before you knew it, there you go, you have your own garden where every single piece is appreciated. :) A genuine smile could be cheap yet priceless. True joy is personal. You have to feel it first in your heart before you can infect others.

And more significantly, HAPPINESS, my dear, is a choice. You have to put effort in making that choice. HAPPINESS is a work in progress. You have to work on it. I think the most credible, authentic, lasting happiness, is that kind you sincerely labored on. Don't we treasure more anything with blood, sweat and tears. Others in a silver platter could be fleeting. I dunno, this is jusz my own concept of happiness. Some people might find the idea too laborious. But this system works for me. I am in fact, good and magnanimous at it. I am moving closer to my personal legend. :)

But then again, I don't want to sound self-righteous. Or sweet talk about it. Or think about like am wearing a straight-jacket, too strict, stiff and rigid. There may be some compartments of happiness that may be too back-breaking, heart-breaking, too risky, too high-price to pay, too long, too far to achieve. You don't need to over-spend a lifetime for a single joy. It's not worth it. Some happiness, certain ones, are time-bound. The beauty of hard work in our search for personal joys, is knowing if its still within our hands, or God's. Again, my personal idea, I leave, certain parts of my life (major or minor), to that one Supreme Being. I've got a job to do, I am humble enough, to let Him do His.

In between FB chats, I was browsing Paulo Coelho's blogs (under The Most Beautiful Story), and found this* ... how happiness can be elusive sometimes, wisdom sometimes unrecognizable when you're young, time our BFF, and this love, steady and not everyone finds and understands.

I am sharing this with her, in the puddle of mud ...


Long ago on a small island, there lived Happiness, Sorrow, Wisdom and Love, as well as other sentiments and feelings (states of being).

One day these feelings heard that the island was suddenly sinking. At once they prepared a boat in order to leave the island. Only Love decided to stay, she wanted to hang on until the very last minute.

A few days passed, the small island really began to slowly start sinking. Love realized that she too wanted to leave and so she waited by the seashore for a boat. At that moment, Prosperity in an enormous ship was just coming by the seashore. Love asked politely “Mr. Rich, can you help me by letting me come to your ship?” Prosperity answered: “No, my ship is too full with gold, silver and precious jewels; there is no seat for you.” As soon as he answered, he sped away in his boat.

Not long after, Love spotted a vain pilot on a small but very pretty boat passing by the shore. Love asked pleadingly, “Mr. Vanity, help me please!” Vanity did not care and refused: “Love, sorry, I cannot help you. You’re completely wet and you will ruin my pretty little boat.” He too took off after saying those words.

Some time passed when Sorrow and Happiness, steering on opposite sides, passed by. Love turned to them and pleaded: “Sorrow, let me come with you so I can leave here!” Sorrow replied crying: “Love, at this moment I’m just too sad. I can only stay and think of one being. Sorry, please go ask Happiness to help you.”

Happiness on the other side, was too happy and could not hear Love’s pleas and calls.

Then as Love felt desperate with no help and realized that she was at her last hour, she suddenly heard a friendly call out to her: “Please come here, Love. Let us come help you leave this sinking island.” Love felt so strange and looked to see who spoke these words. She saw an old, grey and ashy being. She quickly boarded his wooden boat and rode with him to shore. Once, the boat pulled in, the old being quietly walked away.

Once on shore, Love walked toward a being sitting and reading a book. Love asked him: “Excuse me, who are you?” Looking up from his book, he replied kindly: “I am Wisdom.”

Love then asked, “The one who just helped me, who is he?”

Wisdom replied, “That is Time.”

“Time?” Love asked puzzled, “Now, why would Time want to help me?”

Wisdom smiled and said, “Because only time has the ability to understand how great and powerful love is.”

*contributed by Cora from CRC Design Studio, Chinese-American, a Coelho follower like me :)