Tuesday, June 28, 2011

crossroads and ravines

Funny how some people don’t believe na aalis ako sa trabahong ito without any prospect of new employment.  As in kahit anong sabihin ko, kahit anong paliwanag ko na uuwi lang talaga ako para magpahinga, they just brush it off as if I’m pulling their left and right legs.  Mas maniniwala pa yata sila if I tell them that Jarir is giving away free ipads.
Hindi ko sila masisi.  Marami na rin kasing umalis at nagdahilan ng kung ano-ano tapos hindi pa nawawala ang amoy nila sa mga sulok-sulok ng kumpanya, ayan at lilitaw sa katabing kumpanya.  Nag-over the bakod lang pala katakot-takot na drama ang ginawa.  Kung ano-anong istorya ang binuo, tinalo pa ang scriptwriter ng Channel 2 na walang mga fresh ideas sabi nga ni Alfie Lorenzo.
Sometimes nagtataka na nga ako.  Why is it so incredible to some people?  Wala ba akong karapatang mapagod?  Wala ba akong karapatang magpahinga?  Wala ba akong karapatang magsawa?  Am I really that stupid to let go of a job that pays well without any replacement that will keep the continuous stream of salary every payday?
Siguro nga.  Sa panahon ngayon, losing a job, much more letting go of one, is a senseless idea.  Sa dami ng walang trabaho ngayon, ano’ng karapatan kong magmalaki at iwanan ang trabahong marami ang pumipila para aplayan. A lot of people are queuing up daily, rain or shine, sa mga employment agencies sa Pinas.  Lalo yong mga overseas employment agencies.  And yet, here I am turning my back on one job that hundreds, probably thousands, are fighting for, teeth and claw, to get their hands on.
But come to think of it.  I’m doing someone a huge favor.  Dahil sa halip na i-monopolize ko yong spot and cling to it till it wants clinging no more, heto at binibigyan ko ang isang kaluluwa ng chance na sya naman ang magtamasa ng dolyares na binabayad ng trabahong ito.
Who knows, that person might need the spot more than I do.  He might have a huge family to support.  Baka may mga anak na hindi makapag-enroll dahil walang pampa-aral.  Baka may asawa o kapatid na may sakit.  Baka may matatandang magulang na kailangang suportahan.  O, di ba, I’m being unselfish here and doing the human race one huge favor?
Seriously, the reactions I got sent me to some serious pondering.  Buti na lang I was firm and resolute when I reached this decision.  Kaya walang nangyaring “OMG, did I do the right thing?”.
And it dawned on me.  It’s not the decision of leaving the job that is incomprehensible to some.  Hindi yong pag-alis ko ng walang ibang pupuntahang trabaho.  It’s my audacity that is incredulous to them.  It’s my boldness to jump into what seems to be a deep ravine that they find unbelievable. 
Oh yes.  To some that is plain stupid.  But for me, it’s real courage.  And sense of adventure.  Dahil gagawa ako ng panibagong chapter ng buhay ko instead of sticking it out with something na hindi ko na ma-enjoy.  Na hininila ko na lang ang katawan ko para gawin. 
So I came to the crossroads that all of us will have to face sooner or later.  Nobody is spared from this.  And at this point, we all have to make a decision.  Nauna lang ako.  Pero susunod din kayo.  And if I’ve chosen to take the route on the left, some of you will choose to make a right turn.  The point is, it’s a crossroad and you’ll have no choice but to decide.  You have to move on.  Because idling is not an option.
Wherever life leads me after this is the biggest challenge.  And facing that challenge will be one exciting adventure I’ve been dying to experience.  I might end up a millionaire and that wouldn’t be bad.  Coz I’ve got a clear plan on what to if something like that happens.  Or, I might end up selling peanuts by the roadside.  Still it wouldn’t be bad.  Coz I did what I wanted to do and found out for myself what’s at the end of the rainbow.
Call me naïve, call me loony.  But I believe it’s better to have tried and failed than wonder all your life what it feels like trying.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A pot of gold is waiting for you at the rainbow's end.