Inspiring Lives: Trembling, Sweating In The Dusk

Life is not all about cloud nines and marshmallows. At times may mean hardships and even tears. How great could it had been if I am born of silver spoon? A significant amount of pains and trouble could have been reduced. A good amount of sweat could have been saved for something much more worthwhile.

There was one event of my life that is still fresh to me. I came home late one Friday because of a session for our Journalism class. While at school, I was thinking of the long eight-kilometer walk with total silence once the class would be done. At the mark of six o'clock, we adjourned and we bid goodbye.

I was the only student who would walk to the next barrio uphill. In the early dusk, the path was still clear. I tried to move faster to be home before it's totally dark but my tired and weary body could not make it. Instead, I moved slowly and relished every single step I was making as sweat started to drop.

The walk got even harder as I started to climb at the foot of the hill. Sweat already wet my dress. I began to say some prayers as I was approaching the dark and scary ulayan (Lithocarpus) tree. Just a year before that, there was an accident where an old maid was crushed to death by an old cargo truck.

Tales spread that there were some weird creatures creeping at night trying to frighten the passersby. That place was also known to be place of weird creatures such as chasing black coffins even before the accident. My body started to tremble and it made even harder for me to move afoot.

Slowly moving, I finally arrived at the most scary point and all I could see was some trace of the pavement and the total darkness of both sides. Prayers intensified and the sweat never ceased to fall. All of a sudden something strongly fell behind my back only around a meter away.

I was about to run but I could not really move fast. In fear, I just pray and continue moving but fearful that something might devour me whole. At last I got into the open and finally, I feel safe since there already were many homes.

The following Monday, I found out that it was just a huge rock that fell off from the cliff. Those sweat are not at all wasted since it made me stronger. It strengthened my faith that someone else is there ready to take care of me.

There is somebody who is ready to shield me from the falling rock and to back me up. Without this experience, I could have been much weaker and cannot face all my life's fears. Or worse, I could have been crushed by all the rocks of my life and can never make this big smile.