It was already half past noon. I was walking back to my dormitory from an inexpensive food store when a light shower poured down. Instinctively, I opened my umbrella and continued my walk. The dorm was still a good distance away so I took time walking slowly, leisurely and pensively.
I had been in Los Baños, Laguna for more than two weeks now and I observed that the weather here is very unpredictable. Just like today, it was bright and sunny in the morning but overcast clouds took on the sky later in the day. It’s no wonder that the umbrella is an indispensable daily item here, and for the last few days, it has become one of my very first friends.
Like me, several students were also walking in the rain, some were alone while others were in the company of their friends. It brought back memories of my own buddies as well. Last month, I attended my friend’s wedding. It was a Muslim marriage and the first I attended to. Well, I was the best man and the unfortunate part was that out of all our friends, I was the only one who was able to make it. Some were already living outside Mindanao while most were tied to their daily lives. I understood that everybody had reasons and it just made me sad. The good part was that I was able to meet other people. I even hitched my way back home as the venue was three to four hours away from my city, riding with the boss of my friend’s wife.
Just few weeks also, a classmate from way back my primary school contacted me through Facebook. We chatted and exchanged updates and we later decided to set up a Facebook group of our batch. We were Centennial graduates (1998) and that was fifteen years ago. It felt like an ancient history for me and while messaging each other, nostalgia overwhelmed me and I could not help but reminisce the bygone days.
Indeed, people and friends grow apart. It’s rare for people to mature together. Our best friends in the olden days may not always be our best friends forever, as circumstances broaden the distance and our priorities shift. Like the space between our fingers, it grows wider as we grow older. And yet, from time to time, the space thins as we bring our fingers together and clutch a wonderful moment. As in life, we take time to reach out to our friends and loved ones despite the difference in location and status.
Indeed, people and friends grow apart. It’s rare for people to mature together. Our best friends in the olden days may not always be our best friends forever, as circumstances broaden the distance and our priorities shift. Like the space between our fingers, it grows wider as we grow older. And yet, from time to time, the space thins as we bring our fingers together and clutch a wonderful moment. As in life, we take time to reach out to our friends and loved ones despite the difference in location and status.
I smiled to myself as the rain lightened and as I was nearing my dormitory. My life had turned new pages in the last few days. From working full time as faculty member, I found myself being a student again now, following a higher degree. It is a wonderful experience and I hope the enthusiasm and excitement in me will not dwindle in the days to come. In my life of constantly seeing people come and go, meeting new acquaintances in trainings and seminars, and teaching students and watching them graduate and pursue their careers, I learned so much from them as I also impressed my own influence in them. Memories, some bitter but most were sweet, are what attached me to these people.
Life is truly a travel through many seasons. We experience new things and learn from them. We meet new people and let go of the old ones. And through all these comings and goings, what’s important is that we have an umbrella to brave the test of times and life.
Slowly, the sun peeped through the clouds. I closed my umbrella and entered the dormitory. Life has so much seasons to experience and enjoy.
November 22, 2013
