Life Begins at 30

I am taking a break from my 2009 review for this blog post. Just because I had to share it.

Back in the Philippines, I have never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day like the Irish or Europeans do, until I came here to Holland a year ago.  In fact, I know little about St. Patrick, that I had to look it up on the internet to understand why people seem to associate it with an excessive amount of booze.

I learned that St. Patrick’s Day was originally a Catholical holiday, that later on became one of the bank holidays in Ireland.  Most people celebrate it by wearing green.  The tradition has changed over time, and not only is St. Patrick’s day celebrated in England, but it has also reached as far as New Zealand, Canada and United States, and of course in the neighboring European countries.  Each has it’s own way of celebrating the green day, but rumor has it that St. Patrick’s Day is statistically the busiest time for pubs and bars alike, almost sucking their liquor cabinets dry! Last year, I went with a few friends to one of our favored local Irish Pubs here to grab a drink or two.

However, this year was different.  I was supposed to attend my 8PM yoga class, but I was running late so I decided to stay and chat a little bit with my friend who I came to visit. The little chat became dinner…then after dinner…  then not realizing it, we were talking until 1AM leaving 3 bottles of wine empty!

Time flies fast when you are caught up with an interesting conversation.  It was a very intimate one,  something that I can and will never disclose.  Suffice it to say that I am glad to have been part of her healing… and she in mine.  It was painful, but somehow, when I stepped out of her door, I felt relieved.  Not because she had problems and I had solutions (because I didn’t, except to finish the wine!), but because I knew that when I left, she was able to breathe… and that she would be ok the next day.

Of course, it would be crazy to wish emotional distress upon anyone.  I would never do that, but looking at the overall picture,  it is not easy to miss the fact that even though life can get so fucked up sometimes, there is always a ray of sunshine waiting to brighten up the days to come.  And it felt good… not because she was emotionally shaken, but because I was there at the right time, when she needed a good cry…  It felt good knowing that even though I couldn’t change the situation,  I was there to listen and to keep her strong and grounded.  Indeed, tears are natural antiseptics for healing our emotional wounds because they help to wash away the pain, but friends… they are the splinters that keep us steady and grounded when the going gets tough.  I am glad to have been that friend last night.