IT’S THE SMALL THINGS Alex Eduque Here we are, still in the midst of the world’s longest quarantine. Yet, on most days, it no longer feels any different. I guess as human beings, we are adaptive creatures by nature, and so eventually, despite initial resistance, we all adapt and assimilate into the groove of things, albeit in different paces. This is life as we know it today in our corner of the world. Although already picking up in pace since March, movement has most definitely slowed down, actions and activities these days are done with much more mindfulness, purpose, and intent. That is all part of living in the time of a pandemic. Yet, we still catch ourselves at times thinking about the months that have passed us by. Most especially early on, hours were long, but the days ended up passing us by fast. We now find ourselves on the second to the last month of the year. It is unbelievable to me especially when I think about how much life has changed this year – it came to a halt unexpectedly and then had to carry-on with altered plans, compromises, and a whole lot of conviction. What happened, 2020? What happened? Many even choose to convince themselves that the year did not happen. It was scary and frightful many times over because of uncertainty, anxiety-ridden days, and even the world’s strongest typhoon making landfall. It was almost as if we felt like the worst had hit us already, and then before we could recover, something else confronts us. It was a year like no other, of that I am certain. But it is also the year where guts were found, grit was built up, and people perhaps realized the strength they did not even know they had. That is what hardships and hard times will do to you. It does not change the fact that you have to wake up every day, and go through life, so you might as well take things a little bit lightly, with a smile, and let the strength and courage in you build up and power you through. Especially in an instance like this year where no one knew (and still does not know) what to expect, we find out sources of strength and those upon who we can lean on. But in the end, we realize that faith is our greatest ally, prayer will keep us marching on, and that we can only really control ourselves and our actions in the grander scheme of things. With that in mind, I am promising myself that regardless of what the next two months of the year may bring, to make the most out of every day. To seize every opportunity to live life to the fullest. To wake up every day, making it a point to find something good in each day, regardless of what challenges come along. From hereon, I will remind myself that there is a reason to smile every day, in the same way that I will make an effort to be someone else’s reason to smile. As the famous Christmas carol goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” and though a lot of customs and traditions may need to take a step back this year, let us not allow that to hold us back from feeling and being the spirit of Christmas – in a year when we are all in dire need of it.