June 23, 2022
We all love receiving gifts, tangible and intangible, aren't we? The tangible gifts we receive, simple or fancy, especially from people important in our lives, are something to treasure because they have sentimental value to us. The intangible gift of life, love, faith, and happiness, is something to be grateful for, as we exist in this world because of these gifts.
(30DofG) Gifts To Treasure
Turning back to the hands of time, I loved receiving gifts from other people when I was a kid, of course, we all wanted them. Back when I didn't hate my father yet, I always wanted him to come back home because he likes bringing some presents for us, new clothes, bags, shoes, or school supplies, but we are more excited to receive the pack of chips and candies for each of us. Well, kids love food anyway.
Aside from the tangible stuff he usually gave us, something he seldom did back then made me feel good. That's when he's saying something positive about me because. A compliment that made me feel good is when he praised my school grades as I became one of the top students in our class. From Grade I section V, I leveled up to a higher section in Grade II, then maintained being on section I from Grade III to VI and was placed in the Fast Learners section.
Remembering those good old days in Primary School, I could say that being on top wasn't a big deal though, because the most important part is the performance at higher levels. But we seldom received compliments from our father because he was a really strict one, so receiving a compliment from him was a big thing. And he would give me a present every time I got a medal at the end of the school year.
And those little compliments motivated me to learn faster and excel in class. I guess we all do? Positive compliments we receive from other people motivate and inspire us to do better. Just like in our work, or here on blogging. We valued and treasure the positive feedback from others and become motivated to share more positive stories that could impact the lives of our readers.
Speaking of gifts, I did receive a lot of gifts from different people, from when I was young until I grew up. But thinking about the best gift I've ever received, that is, of course, the gift of life. And I guess we all consider it the best gift? Another best intangible gift I've ever received was friendship from people I considered the second family. Without them, I guess my life would have been so boring.
We all meet different people along our journey, and sometimes we are unaware that we are already creating an impact on their lives, positively. During my first job in our city, I met different people of different personalities. I never mind other people's businesses or any conflict, nor socialize with others, so those who came to me first became my friends.
They even thought I was "suplada" or snobbish and not approachable. And since I was a pioneer and the top employee in our department, they were hesitant to befriend me. Unbeknownst to them, I was also "kalog" or crazy like them. I could dance along with everyone's flow, it just depends on the characters I'm dealing with. But I usually go with people I'm comfortable with, and never fake my character in front of people I befriended.
When I resigned from my job as I opted to choose another path and grabbed a better opportunity, I never thought I had created beautiful footmarks in their lives. I guess you know me as generous on this platform, I've been one since before. The day after my last duty, I planned to go swimming with my co-workers and I prepared everything from food to cottage, and others.
After having fun, I saw them busy writing and passing a sheet of paper (I thought it was a paper) from one person to another. After they finished writing, they handed me this collage with a collection of photos of me with my co-workers I considered friends. And this is the item I treasure most. I even made it laminated so it won't deteriorate more over time.
Why do I treasure this the most? Aside from the memories with them, their messages written at the back made me cry a river that day. The collage was created by one of my male colleagues whom I called "Kuya Dave" because he's older than us.
I was really touched by their messages which made me shed tears that day. There's a beautiful quote included by the sweetheart couple in our department that says,
"Feel good when somebody misses you, feel better when somebody loves you, feel best when somebody never forgets you."
These people really didn't forget me as our communication continued even when I was in my new job already. Although I felt guilty recently as I couldn't interact with them that much in our group, and I am more busy grinding online during my spare time.
A message from my co-pioneers was this one,
"For all those 3 years that we've been together, the jokes, entries, feedback, and incentives, we want you to know that, you'll not be forgotten." I hope they still remember me though until now, lol.
While reading one of the messages there, this one still makes me laugh even now.
"Bato ka ba? Kasi Ruby ka!"
This message was from those beautiful ladies with me (upper right photo) wearing gray and black. They called me bato or stone because I became stonehearted to guys after my painful breakup with my ex. Our close friend even courted me but I only rejected him. That was the guy I mentioned in my article, The Man I Have Wasted. But I just can't say yes to a man while my heart was still not fully recovered.
Princess, one of my closest friends, still calls me "topnotcher" even now. The called me "ACT Best Biller" or top-notcher in our department from the day they initiated the incentive program until I resigned. You can find her message somewhere in the upper left part of the 2nd photo.
Above all, this message was so meaningful to me,
"Friendship is not the end of the journey, but it's just the beginning of life." (Bottom message, middle part). A message from the same two ladies who called me bato, lol.
That's indeed true. We may part ways, but it doesn't mean it's already the end, because it's just the beginning of life. And as we continue our journey, we would meet more friends and they are the ones that would make our journey worthwhile.
And if there is a common message they gave me that I loved much, that's to bring God with me wherever I go and to always have faith in Him. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we must always include Him. If our dream fuels our journey, it's our faith in Him that keeps us going.
And what I want to say here is, that you may go on different paths and meet different people that will eventually become your new friends, but never forget those friends you have in the past. Instead, keep collecting real gems, not stones or plastics. If unfortunate things happen, the real ones would shine brightly and they would help us light up our dark way.
I hope you get what I mean there and I hope I have real ones here? π π. Thank you.
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Sanaol napalaminate, ako yung mga letters nalng ang naiwan ..dito mo talaga makikita na hindi basehan ang tagal at ikli nang panahon na magkasama kayo kasi makikita mo na may mga taong darating sa buhay mo na mag mamarka talaga at sa tuwing naiisip mo yung pinagsamahan niyo maiiyak ka nalang or matatawa sa mga memories niyo