Work in Progress

Anything that is subject for completion, as in pending road works, on-going house renovation, unfinished school project, in accounting, raw materials undergoing some manufacturing process. But perhaps the biggest example of work in progress is - life itself. Life that begins with conception, infancy, childhood, adolescence and so on and so forth and is weave with a slew of emotional tendencies and character originating with innocence. From there, an endless journey unfolds. So one can never be too sure or too complacent. For every minutes hold an opportunity to make or break. There are no certainties in life, which make it ever so changing, adapting and vulnerable. One can never be too careful or too careless, for any moment, calamity can overwhelm our happiness or overturn our sorrows.

Life without the ups and downs is boring. Only dead people beats their hearts flat. Before , I used to blame a lot of things for what's happening to me. I used to believe that it is not fair that some people must suffer while others flourish in abundance. I used to envy people who seems to enjoy their job despite their minimal salary. I used to question God why I have to go all these things when I haven't done anything wrong to anyone. Now I understand. Life without the ups and downs is boring. When you are always up there, you don't seem to see and appreciate the people who would catch you when you fall.

There is no permanent in our lives, not even happiness, love and security. But the good thing is, once you've lost or gave up something either by choice or by chance, you always have the opportunity to get it back and usually it comes with a free pack of lessons learned. They say for the second time, it's sweeter, it's lovelier and it's more appreciated. More than outgrowing our physicality, the work in progress that is life deals more with character formation, taking every bit of good seeds from the countless journeys that we may be in, be it on the green slopes, the stormy seas, the high mountains or the cold desert.

When I was still working with San Miguel, I thought that I would be doing that same job for the rest of my life. I thought that I would going to be a Megamall buddy until my legal retirement days. It never happened though.. Six years after spending time and drinking beer with Miguel, I went to Dubai to find a better fortune. Before that year ended however, I went back home with my pocket inside out. I was too childish then. The following year, I went back to Dubai for the second time and a year after, I was about to file for my life's biggest personal and emotional bankruptcy. Where is me now? I am still in Dubai and getting my myself back to business. I have learned how to dance with life. I have heartfully embraced the fact that I am human that I have to experience pain and pleasure, defiance and defeat and strength and arrogance at one point.

Right now, financially I have amounted myself to an unbelievable nothing! But in terms of character, I'd say that I am a whole lot better than yesterday. Life evolves constantly, there's no assurance that what you are holding right now will still be there the next morning. So for all who are down there, that's always a reason to look forward to. Life as a work in progress has no definite or fixed finished product, much less a period of when or where to become it. People going through the same difficulty may view their situation at different perspective. One may see it as a way to polish his weaknesses while another can see view it as a curse to give up his life. What we can evolved into depends greatly on how we take and accept the ways things happen and it always pay to be optimistic.