Skip to main content

21

I had chicken pox on my birthday. Yes, on my birthday, and just before my midterm exams.

I should have known.

January 30th.

I fell asleep in the afternoon which was unusual since I have been experiencing trouble sleeping for days now. When I awoke, I rushed to school only to find that our classes were canceled. I came home feeling tired and cold. 

January 31st.

My birthday. I woke up with a heavy head and chills. Then, when I scratched my rib, some fluid came out. I instantly knew something was wrong. I called my sister about my symptoms and she confirmed it. Chicken pox. On my birthday. Just before midterms.

Of course, I went frantic.

And of course, I kept on asking why this has to happen. Why now? Why this? Why me? Yes, I may have been a tad bit overdramatic. But it's just natural to question things when misfortunes after misfortunes come your way, diba? I was so stressed about it that I told my mom that if I don't make it this semester, I am going to quit law school.

Just when I have decided to make things right, to focus, to give all I got to achieve something, just when I was starting to really set my eyes on the prize, this happened. For so long I've been on a journey of finding what is for me. My purpose. What if this is God telling me "no, this isn't for you?" 


Thank God still, I was able to travel back to Tacloban for a few days. We had a belated birthday celebration and I got to spend time with my family and the boyfriend who still gave me a kiss despite my lesions. Nagka-chicken pox na daw sya kaya safe na! Haha

Happy 21st birthday, self. Things may be hard now but you are okay. It's just a disease. Soon everything will be alright. Keep going.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Home Alone

What can I tell you that doesn't sound like work? Because that's only been my life now.  Every day at 6 in the morning, I'd turn off my alarm, get up, and cook rice. And then I'd go back to bed and text my boyfriend "kaberns/kabernd/kabrns", our morning greetings. I'd get up again at 6:30, make my bed, unplug the rice cooker, and ready my things for work. I'd shower and then prepare my self. If it isn't raining, I'd walk to the office. Calbayog City has temporarily suspended public transport again for two weeks. If it is raining, I'd text my neighbor who is also my coworker if I could hitch a ride. I hitched a ride this whole week because I realized I hate walking to my workplace in the morning, it's hot and I'm all sweaty when I reach the office. Start pa lang ng araw pero lantang gulay na ako LOL. In a more normal circumstance, I'd take a tricycle to work. When the day ends, if it's raining, I'd again hitch a ride. But...

Manifest to Achieve It

 A few days before 2021 ended, I got a present from an old friend. She sent me images via Messenger and right below it, she wrote that she was proud of me for I made it happen.  Apparently, it was photos of my entry from her old slam book which I signed back in 2003 when we were just high school freshmen. I clicked the photos and my initial response was, "gosh, what ugly handwriting!" 😅 I asked for clearer photos to see what she meant by her being "proud of me" and there is the greatest achievement part I wrote: if I will be a lawyer. It was already past 11 in the evening when I zoomed in on the photos and yet I felt so awake. Like my friend, I was amazed by the revelation because firstly, I cannot remember ever actively dreaming of becoming a lawyer, and secondly, OMG YES, I REALLY DID MAKE IT HAPPEN! "Manifesting" is one of the online crazes of this pandemic. To manifest is to make something obvious. When you are manifesting, you think aspirational thou...

Only The Young

Today, Facebook reminded me of a post I shared on this day two years ago. It was a photo of my 5-year-old self leading the pledge of loyalty back in grail school. In the caption of the said post, I wrote the lyrics of one of my favorite Taylor Swift tracks. It was my response to the malicious statements hurled against me by no less than our local chief executive earlier that morning via our community radio. How did I become so special? Days before that, I learned that the national government downloaded millions of funds to our local government through the Bayanihan One Act. To prevent the loss of lives and disruption of the economy due to the spread of the coronavirus, the government made sure that LGUs had enough funds to create measures or programs that would address the crisis efficiently. I'm sure it is still fresh in everyone's memory how things were during the first few weeks after the President declared a state of public health emergency throughout the entire country.  A...