Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts

Happiness

By Apolinario Villalobos

Happiness is waking up

Caressed by the cool wind

Of the golden dawn.

Happiness is seeing neighbors

Whose homes are made alive

 With laughter of contentment.

Happiness is having a child

A bundle of chubby pink face

A crispy cry bringing tear to your eye.

Happiness is extending a hand

To a fallen friend and strangers

Who give a grateful look and a smile.

Happiness is being contented

As on earth, everything has a limit

So that we must not grumble even a bit!

                       

The Desire to have a Longer Life

By Apolinario Villalobos

The desire to live longer in this world is a manifestation of satisfaction felt about what are being experienced in this world. There is no regret for having been brought forth into the chaos that characterized the world. In other words, whoever has this feeling is happy.

The aforementioned feeling is the opposite of what is felt by a person who is never satisfied, one who always finds fault in others and in just anything that God created. He feels that he cannot tolerate such imperfections, hence, better for him to call it quits and say goodbye to life!

Man is given the choice, either to live in happiness or misery, based on how he conducts himself in this world. Some of us, who wallow in poverty, can still declare sincerely- felt happiness. While others who are neck-deep in luxury still have the heart to express sadness. Such differing feelings determine the desire to live life longer.

Every day should be viewed as a happy moment in life that occurs because we want it to happen. This attitude is the driving force that sustains the desire in us to live longer than expected. This force should not be affected by numbers such as age and time, and possible only by making ourselves oblivious to such.  Again, this can be made possible by making ourselves busy in doing something – good, of course.

On board a jeepney one day, I found myself sitting beside a senior citizen, a lady clad in white dress, obviously a devotee of the Virgin Mary. As the jeepney that I took was plying the route of Pasay-Baclaran, I presumed that she was on her way to the Baclaran Church, especially, because it was a Wednesday. Baclaran is the national shrine of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help with Wednesday being the devotion day.

As I could not contain my curiosity, I asked for her age to which she gladly replied, ninety-six! I was almost floored by her answer. I thought she was just past sixty. She told me that she has been a devotee of the Virgin Mary for more than fifty years. Every Wednesday, she wakes up early to take a jeepney to Baclaran, and every Friday she takes her time in going to Quiapo to fulfill her devotion to the Black Nazarene.

I compared the senior lady whom I befriended to another one I knew who devoted her time at bingo hall of her favorite shopping mall, from Monday to Thursday, as Friday to Sunday are for mahjong socials with her friends. At age sixty-three, she looked haggard with her face heavily made up, so that she looked more than eighty. She died last year, 2014, just four months before her sixty-third birthday.

Going Beyond the Success

of having a Happy Family…

by Apolinario Villalobos

This share is inspired by facebook bloggers who never tire of declaring happiness and satisfaction in life. Obviously, they are not stopping at their happy family, to show how satisfied they are in life, and with happiness overflowing their person. They are going beyond their boundaries by filling their facebook pages with inspirational quotes, medicinal remedies, photos and information on touristic destinations, personal views on politics and necessary comments that are helpful as added information of viewers – all sincerely shared.

Most people thought that the ultimate goal of a human being on earth is to raise a family. And, in this effort, one should do all possible to gain success in having a beautiful and intelligent better half, equally beautiful, handsome and intelligent children, and of course, a stable home. But, thanks to the social media, for they unknowingly went beyond this goal.

There are religious and civic organizations that are tirelessly making communities alive. Some of those behind them are retirees who unselfishly share their precious time to keep the organizations pulsate with life. Aside from these senior citizens, there are others in the prime of their life who likewise unabashedly shout to the world how happy they are, and manifest such by their active participation in similar organizations.

 In this regard, I am touched by what a facebook blogger did to two of his posts – pasted the same declaration of happiness and even invited his friends  to do the same. The guy, Jess Fuentevila is a picture of satisfaction, just like another blogger, Bogz Jamorabon who never tires of wearing a big smile while going around the community on his China motorbike, as if to show that there is nothing to worry about, with the Lord’s hand touching us! Both still found time to be part of active sports and religious organizations despite their hectic jobs. The mentioned guys’ feeling of success has indeed, overflowed their home, beyond their beloved families.

At this juncture, I must say that satisfied people who declare happiness and success are also declaring a profound appreciation for what He has done – gave life with choices on how to live it…choices that could spell happiness or misery.

Kaligayahan

(para kay Bing Paragas Calbone)

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Kaligayahan ang paggising

Sa haplos ng malamig na simoy

Ng ginintuang bukang-liwayway

Hudyat ng bagong araw, bagong buhay.

Kaligayahan ang mga kapitbahay

Na ang mga tahanan ay binubuhay

Ng halakhak ng kasiyahan at ng sigla

Tanda na sila ay punong-puno ng pag-asa.

Kaligayahan ang supling na dumating

May mala-rosas na pisngi, tawa’t ngiti

Na sa iyo’y nagdala ng luha’t kaligayahan -

Damdaming halos wala kang mapagsidlan.

Kaligayahan ang makatulong sa ibang tao

Na hindi mo inaasahang sa iyo ay ibabalik

Dahil ang tanging hangad mo’y maipakita

Na walang katumbas, pagmamahal sa kapwa.

Kaligayahan ang hindi na maghahangad pa

Ng mga bagay na sa buhay na ito’y makakamit

Dahil mas mahalaga ang sa Kanya’y sampalataya –

Maigting at tagos sa puso na dapat nating nadarama!

(Si Bing Paragas-Calbone ay nagtapos ng high school sa

NDTGirls at nangangarap na sana ang NDTC na mahalagang

bahagi ng lunsod ay lalo pang umunlad upang makatulong

sa mga kabataan, at sa harap na rin ng tumitinding mga

pagsubok na dulot ay agam-agam sa mga Pilipino.)