IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
Alex M. Eduque
This coming week, President Rodrigo Duterte is to deliver his last State of the Nation Address for his term. To say that it has been quite a term for him would be an understatement, and I think for any leader and elected official who has had to serve during the pandemic, this would be the case.
Having said that though, each one of us has had to make some major adjustments and decisions during this unprecedented time none of us expected, and suffice to say, despite the quarantine situations all around the world, our lives moved forth and went on. Regardless of that worldwide halt we all experienced last year, though we may have lost some in the process, we all managed to get back up and go – because resilience is a trait human beings need not only to thrive, but simply to survive.
This pandemic has definitely brought out the best of us, and at times, the worst of us. We all had a multitude of coping mechanisms, and various ways on going about things, but that is not to say any which one was better than the other. We hopefully though learned to respect each other’s differences and preferences without biases.
Our many sides that we probably did not even know existed were tried, tested, and revealed. Many hit their lowest points, and are still trying to find their way up, while others did what they could to manage and stay afloat. At the end of the day, years from now, what we will remember, and who will matter are those who came around when no one else would. We never forget how others make us feel.
Whether life finds you now where you were in March 2020 when the world came to a simultaneous lockdown, or whether you are on the opposite side of the world now, life still happened from then till today. The daily grind may have remained, changed a bit, or drastically for you, but the most important things and people in your life have most likely remained unchanged.
Quite ironically, the only constant in this world is change, yet, at the same time, we oftentimes find ourselves resistant to this constant simply because we have become accustomed and more comfortable with routine. Flexibility was a trait that came very handy as we maneuvered through an uncertain time, and it is something we hope to carry with us from here on forth.
We perhaps have not found ourselves to be more vigilant and cautious than we have last year, and still today. Though some of us may have become more lenient, and let our guards down a bit post vaccination, we must remain careful because the virus still exists.
Cleanliness and proper hygiene are also crucial aspects of our everyday life that were magnified and emphasized this past year, which I hope we have imbibed enough to become habitual for the rest of our lives.
So when we ponder on how life is these days, let us not forget to count even our smallest of everyday blessings. After all, if there is anything the pandemic really taught us, it is how to live life with an attitude of gratitude – for the smallest of things, which at the end of the day we realize, are perhaps what matter most.