My father experienced an abundant childhood life, because my grandfather died as a navy during the world war two. My father, his siblings and mother were offered migration to America and avail green cards after the death of my grandfather. America from a little town in a province in the Philippines, spelled abundance and lots of possibilities. My father, out of all his siblings decided to remain in the Philippines. As he did not feel that he would miss out on the world, even if he remained in his native land and an undeveloped country. My father is a patriot at heart, but also an aspiring musician in younger years.
He decided to stay back and travel the Philippines with a ragged bike, wear one jeans everywhere and live the rockstar life. His adventures, though he spoke very little of of them to me, I knew were incredible adventures. With his charisma, good looks and ability to play all the instruments in a band, I knew they were joyous carefree days of his life. Though my father was carefree by nature, he by choice is a responsible man.
He then took on geology in the University, excelled in it and later on worked for an international company that enabled me, my mom and sister to live abroad for two decades and study in private international schools.
I have been inspired by my father by his early audacious times of youth and prime. His rockstar nature and his scientific geology mind, have clearly helped him to balance himself and make that the blueprint of his lifestyle.
Age 18 (10years ago) I made decisions like the way my father did in his youth, my friends and relatives highly disagreed with me. Though my father, who saw himself in me respected it, supported it and most of all believed in me. From a Father to a Daugther, it felt like a baton was being carried. I was free to make my own choices, but because he is my father and he is a silent wise man. He also insisted that I will do my best to not affect others with the consequences of my choices. At the age of 18, I understood this very well and step by step I keep living up to that promise. I made mistakes, fell face down, but always have to humility to start again.
A decade has passed since then and as I write this, I am sitting in a space nurtured with abundance and gratitude. With enough funds to sustain me, a room of my own (exactly the type Virginia Woolf described) and all the tresures from my past adventures that inspire all my writings and paintings. I am grateful. I may not be saving the world, but I have made decisions on my diet that help me feel better, refrain from buying unnecessary material things and lastly segregate plastic. A simple, harmonious artist life.
At this time I am more disconnected to many forms of social circles and mainstream shenanigans. I strive to age gracefully and that aspiration only truly started when I truly understood the meaning of “ageing greafully”, within my mind, body and soul. The only way you can truly age gracefully, is by expressing your being-ness with a whole lot of grace. And to aspire to age gracefully in the way our world is today, takes audacity because mostly everything is done with the absence of grace.
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