I have this recurring dream where I
have a hard time running. I can’t seem to move my legs as fast as I want to and
I feel like I’m going nowhere.
But last night I had a different one,
something vivid and wonderful.
I dreamt of running early in the
morning in a place similar to Baguio. Some place cold and misty. I ran fast and
enjoyed it. Then I ran up a steep mountain. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it
would be because the path was clear. At the middle of my run, a cab passed by
and I went in. It brought me to the top.
drink wine, enjoy a gelato dessert, ride a gondola in
venice, drive around tuscany, take photos of the ruins, stare at the blue
waters of amalfi coast.
italy, i hope to see you before i hit 30. :)
Sundays materialized. Visayas and Mindanao happened.
Angkor Wat in June 2010. Italy will happen. I can do this. :)
I’m no expert in running. But it took
me almost 6 years of on-and-off training, focus, and discipline to achieve what I am able
to do now - an hour of continued running by controlling physical pain and
fatigue - through the mind. I believe this is one of the most important things
to master in doing long-distance runs.
If you were to hear me while running,
you’ll hear these lines:
“Angge, kaya mo yan. 5 rounds na lang.”
“Slow pacing lang para makaabot ng one
hour, huwag mong bilisan.”
“Dagdagan ko kaya ng isang round today,
kaya pa naman.”
I abide by Murakami’s “Pain
is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” It’s really all in the mind. One
just has to focus on achieving a certain amount of time or distance. It’s
training your muscles to get used to a certain pace to endure long distances.
It’s about discipline and not falling
for your own excuses. It’s about finding a way to have time for running.
Don’t get me wrong, I'm no running addict. I love running
because it’s “me-time”. Endorphins! Enough said. And more importantly, it’s the
fulfillment I get knowing that I’ve achieved something because I was able to
focus and discipline myself.
Half of it was full of drama. Realizations
that some things are just not really meant to happen. And that when you ask Him
a question, you should be ready for the answers. But there’s no need to worry,
because He will be there for you when you question yourself and when you try so
hard to understand why it didn’t happen. He will also be there to comfort you
when you finally realize that it’s just not for you. He will also send you
encounters with strangers reminding you that life should be taken lightly
sometimes.
2009 was the start of my learning
experience.
I’ve learned to accept that some things
are just part of my daily life, of my job. I am more patient now towards
stressful situations and people who are hard to work with. I now have an open
mind and a better understanding of people’s behaviors. I’ve realized that
almost all of us are stressed out and as much as we don’t want to get it out on
certain people, we can’t help but do so. So we try to be better every day.
2009 was family time.
My parents still go out on dates. Love
it! And
my brother is still my date when I’m in Baguio. hehe
Travel, travel, travel, with Sundays.
I’m fulfilling my dream more and more –
I’ve been to the Visayas and Mindanao. More amazing and wonderful memories and
photos to keep.
It’s not just the wonderful places that
get me to my feet, it’s more of the feeling of moving and of change. It’s the
feeling of being in a place I’ve never been to. It’s the peculiar things that
excite and scare me at the same time. It’s also the people and their ways of
life that remind me of the more important things in life. It gives me a wider
perspective in life.
It was a lesser-“unnecessary efforts”-year.
It was trying and learning the “leave it all up to Him” year. It’s more of
living in the present than worrying about the future. More happiness. :)
I pray for a more exciting 2010 with
lots of travel and quality time with friends and family. :)
