The Year That Was 2009, The Year That Is 2010

Welcome to the new year, and the new decade!

Personally, I look at the past with the least fondness, having gone through major upheavals which I would rather not recount. (Imagine my repulsion then when an acquaintance, in her usual "I me myself" quibbles, told me that she is sadder than I am, without even knowing any much about my state of affairs. Hahah! I say, sadness is relative.)

Instead, I would rather think about the faintest rays of hope that I saw in my peripheral vision. I, for one, cannot fully accept that it was all bad: things could have been worse, really.

Things can never be too bad. I am still lucky to have found and rediscovered these gifts:

1. The gift of friendship

Probably the single best thing that sustained me. I rediscovered friends and made new ones. They were around, and while many have been clumsy (which I understand, sad situations can make even the most poised people clumsy), they have been my inspiration to go on.

2. The gift of communication

I discovered this just a few months ago. How valuable is this to me? It means a lot when you want to say something meaningful and yet you are hindered by words. Confronted with this difficulty, you try to express in some other way. I experienced this many times (and continue to do so) with a new friend, which is a most humbling and enriching experience, because he is a person worth discovering and it is a waste not to know his value.

3. The gift of humour

Some of the most resilient people I know have an incredible sense of humour. Humour is quite hard to come by. I do gravitate towards people who are positive and look at the world with a wistful smile on their faces while knowing how to remain grounded. Humour can kill the most sour mood, and can melt the coldest heart.

4. The gift of poetry and music

I have always been surrounded by music and music-related activities. It is poetry, however, that I have come to rediscover. A friend gave me a book, a hardbound collection of works by the Colombian poetess Angela Becerra, last Christmas. For months I have been exchanging poetry with friends. Contrary to myth, poetry is the language of man set in a different tone, and as such it is for everyone to appreciate. I think that everyone should at least try to read a poem or two a day.

5. The gift of awe and discernment

They come together, yes, and I found out once again that I should not be too jaded nor too impressionable at the same time.

6. Finally, the gift of pride

Always, that singular thing that keeps me alive. Pride is used in the context that, in the face of adversary, nothing and noone can bring me down.

Bonne annee, mes amis et amies! Maligayang Bagong Taon, mga kaibigan.