Alex M. Eduque
By Alex M. Eduque
Last Sunday, we celebrated Easter (it also happened to be April Fool’s Day, but that’s for another time). It also happened to be the beginning of a new month, and the official end of the first quarter of this year. I couldn’t help but ask myself where the time went because I feel like it just passed me by. There was also slight panic for a second, thinking about the fact that we’re well into 2018, and the second quarter has begun. Before we know it, we’ll be gearing up for the holidays once again. Though quite significantly a Christian holiday (as it is one that celebrates the resurrection of Christ), Easter is symbolic for new beginnings no matter what one’s faith may be. That’s how the Easter egg became associated with the holiday to begin with, right? The days leading to Easter should be a time for reflection, rejuvenation, and restoration of faith. To many children, Easter is synonymous with the bunny who hops around and hides pretty, colorful, and prize-bearing eggs. To others, it could simply be a time to take time off work and give oneself extra time. Whatever the case is for you, I hope your Easter was equally as meaningful as mine.
Much of my own Easter childhood was heavily associated with that burst of pastel painted (first sugar, then plastic) eggs bearing prizes inside. The much coveted golden egg was always that trophy we cousins all vied for, and which would stir a bit of envy for an entire year until another one of us held the torch for finding it the next year. You see, growing up, Holy Week would be pretty much routine – while my grandparents were still alive, it was always spent in Batangas as a family. Even as children, we were made to go through all the rituals – from the Washing of the Feet, to the Stations of the Cross, the Seven Last Words, and the Easter Vigil – and were never spared from the scorching heat of the sun, or the crowded town church even as youngsters. We were sometimes even made to serve during the masses and ceremonies, and I remember burning myself from the wax of the candle during one Easter vigil as a child, and it merited no comfort from anyone – I was made to sit through till the very end of the mass before my needs were attended to. That is how we were brought up for the most part – with tough, but lots of love; with a strong but caring hand – and perhaps, it’s that very reason Easter Egg hunts became all the more coveted and a hundred times sweeter. It was the reward at the end of all our “sacrifice” as we knew it then, as children.
These days, though still much anticipated, the highlight of the Easter holiday is far from the good old colorful egg hunts and candy that we would receive as prizes when we were children. What is coveted these days is that much-needed quiet and rest time. It is one of those rare occasions where everyone is on the same pace catching up on much-needed rest and bonding. Whether through a staycation or a vacation, it has turned into precious family time where one relishes the free time and the luxury of not needing to wake up to an alarm (for the most part that is). At the end of the day, one realizes that the greatest luxuries (that matter most) in life don’t come with a price tag attached to them because they are indeed priceless – they are moments that turn into wonderful memories, no matter where, or when.
Just like the new year, Easter is as good a day to start anew. It is a time of reflection, and of turning the page in your book to start a new chapter. That being said, however, truth is, any day is as good a day to refresh – your mind, body, and soul – re-charge and re-boot because even machines need it, right? So here’s to celebrating every day: to new beginnings and equally beautiful stories that know no end. Whether it be Easter, or any other day that you can turn into extraordinary.