Sophrosyne

Before writing this post, I was in an awful struggle to find an inspiration to actually write. I had ideas—a lot of them, but it ended there. My thoughts were all over the place and I didn't know how to start and somehow collect them in one spot to make a good outcome. Visiting social websites came next, but I found nothing. Interrupting my trail of thoughts, my grandma asked me to buy a box of matches in the nearby store and as I walked out, series of laughter and chitchats; sights of children playing and big slippers slapping cans welcomed me—and I found what I was looking for.

My whole summer consisted of biking, church activities, pools, waters, guitar lessons, outings, sports, papers, music (insert: OTRAManila on March 21), short-period travels, friends (insert: April 15) and family. And yes, May is ending so fast, but not fast enough to ruin the fun under the sun we are still having. This summer is one of the best ones I've had in my almost 15 years of existence & 10 years of remembering and living.

I lived, and I am overwhelmed with glee. I escaped technology- Twitter and everything, which is why I now know how wonderful it is out there, and how dull it is to always stay inside. Disconnecting myself from the profile and timeline systems in the World Wide Web made me connect myself to the actual profiles of the people I know and to the experiences I didn't know I could do for the time being in the real world. Metaphors give someone an understandable way of saying statements to live by most of the time, so let me try this one out. I have come up with ideas of living and I am ecstatic to share them all with you.

Living is getting out on an early rainy morning to stroll and walk with petrichor surrounding you. It is loving your world and accepting the pros and cons it gives. It is appreciating your day however it started and solving your way through your problems with a positive thud in your heart.

Living is making friends, and making your family your best friends. Your family is all that you’ll ever need. No matter how frequent you say you hate your parents, at this age, you can’t deny how dependent you are to them. You are attached, and there’s no going out of it because if you do, you will think about how they raised you and gave everything to you; guilt and regret will eat you; and you’ll end up coming back.

Living is saving what’s left of your money in preparation for your future instead of going to expensive coffee shops and malls regularly. I was almost close to falling deep down into that silly trap, so I am thankful my dad was there to get it out of my poor system and pick me back up. He told me the highest vanity I can ever get myself is from McDonald’s, and I am bringing that piece of advice with me until I grow older because I understand. Expensive coffee shops make me think that they serve their food with gold, and no matter how tempting it is, I am not eating gold. I’d rather put it in my chest. Your life is not about the famous brand. It’s about how you use it, and who you spend it with.

Living is biking on a rocky trail and believing you’ll not fall off. Things will happen if you believe they will. If there’s something I hold on to every single day, it is faith. Faith is a powerful weapon, and if you want to enjoy living without fearing, you got to have it.

Living is finding what you love and what makes you truly happy. And that is up to you. Nobody else have the right to dictate (except maybe your parents because they love you too much) what path you are going to take, but you should consider others' sake and help. You are not whole without them- you know it. Reflect and be grateful. Be smart.

There is so much more to life than Wi-Fi and gadgets. These are basically included in our necessities, alright, but we have to keep some kind of distance far enough that we can still make most of our lives even without them. Play a musical instrument. Read books. Do sports. Have some quality time with your dogs. Go out with your friends. Arrange a trip with your family. Help your mom cook lunch. Converse with your dad about your day. Take your pens and papers out and improve your handwriting. Study because school is important. Create something that will make you feel good about yourself. Do more—I have done all of those this summer. A handful of people will agree with me when I say 2015 isn't the best year, at least yet. But then, ask yourself: what are the technicalities of a best year? It’s not like everyone should decide and stuff, but think about it. We always want the best. We make our own technicalities, so it is our duty to get them done to tick the boxes of our lists. Let us help ourselves.

We are so close to flipping half of our 2015 calendars over. Time does fly quickly when you’re having fun. To those who didn't make it this far, you are loved, and may you rest in peace. This isn't much of a post, but here’s to the well spent summer and to the new school year. Cheers!

PS., I am counting on you.