Para Kanino Ka Bumabangon?

Remember this line from a TV commercial? Rough translation: Who do you wake up for? It was from years ago and it rang in my mind when I was about to write this blog.

This made me rethink our situation in the pandemic and how it has affected not just our nation, but the whole world.

Remember pre-pandemic, some will file their sick leaves because they just want to skip work or simply to have a break, versus now where everyone gets alarmed when someone posts (on social media) that they are sick.

My personal philosophy in life is this:

Be grateful for all of your blessings and look for a silver lining during bad times.

It's easy to be happy when everything goes your way, while it feels like the heavens turned their back when circumstances are not in your favor.

So if you are not in a good situation right now and someone asks you "para kanino ka bumabangon?", what will you say?

Here's mine:

> For the life that God gave you. There is a reason why you are walking this earth. There is a reason why you can still see light during the day and darkness during evening. Some don't have eyes to see, yet they are still grateful. Some are fighting for their breath, but you can breathe easily.

> For your family. A lot of families are being broken by their losses due to the Coronavirus, but you are still with yours. You have someone to share your joys and sorrows with. You have a support system that will never leave your side. You are still surrounded by love when you need it the most.

> For your job. You may be abroad working away from your family or having a hard time working in the country because of government restrictions. Remind yourself that some are looking for work to provide food for their family and to just make ends meet. Whether you are earning enough or small, be grateful that you at least have something when others probably don’t.

> For the people that you serve. You may be a full-time housewife, a student, a church worker or the likes...be grateful that you have tasks to accomplish. You have people to take care of. You have parents to be accountable to. And you have a community to support. Have you ever thought about waking up without a purpose, feeling like you don't give value to anybody? As they say, there are no small or big roles. You are important to someone.

> For the lessons that you will learn. Learning doesn't stop after school. The most valuable nuggets come from actual experience. You might not get what you want right now, probably it's because you are being set up for bigger things. You just need this circumstance, good or bad, to prepare you for it.

So, how about you, para kanino ka bumabangon?

Sincerely,