Simple is the best thing to discribe me. Simplicity is my motto in life.
I grow in a simple family. I have simple dreams in life and that is to give my parents a good life and live happily. I have simple joy, fish tinola can make me smile. I rejoice over simple victory, just like making my parents proud. Or even waking up with good health. I have simple outlook in life, to be happy and peaceful. I have simple prayers, to surpass daily struggles. I have simple house, not cemented but still with roof that covers us during rain and shine. Simple things, clothes that covers our body. Simple food to be shared with.
Yet we are happy. How come?
I came from a poor family, farther is a farmer and a carpenter. Mom is a full time house wife. We are 4 siblings and I am the youngest. When were young, mother and father decided that we will go to father's home town since we are all -4 siblings born in mother's home town. When we arrived in father's town we don't have house yet so, father decided that we will stay in the mountain (bukid) for the mean time. My siblings stopped going to school. We have small house there, we all just fit. Every morning we go to the river to wash clothes, take a bath and sometimes catch some crabs, shrimp and fish. Every night we use lamp made from cloth rolled in a bottle with gasoline in it in order to have light in the house. Every saturday, father go down to the town to buy our basic needs. He always went home with bread and we are always excited to meet him in the yard.
After 2 years we go down from the mountain and live in the town. We started going to school again with 1 or sometimes nothing in the pocket. Yet we still manage to finish primary level. We have a small garden that serves us our small source of income. Every morning before going to school we sell different vegetables. Bringing a basin on top of head shouting "utan ! Utan mo diha!". To let the neighborhood knows we sell something. After selling we go to school and after class we are assigned to watered the vegetables in the garden. We also have rice field that we took care. It's not ours but we just take care of it. From that we get rice and from the from the garden we get viand. Some other time we sell delicacies in the neighborhood too in order to meet daily needs such as gas for the lamp, soap for clothes and bath, shampoo is not necessary because we just use coconut oil as a shampoo.
Everyday live life like that. We earn just the amount we need. But we can still buy things if we want to but chose not to because it's not necessary. We live simply but happily. Life teaches us that we can still be happy even on the simple life we are living. Life teaches us -children to be wise in every actions and decision making. The life that we live teaches us to be contented on what we have. We learn to be grateful in everything we had because God provided what we need every.
Life challenge us. Storms toast us, hurts us and even burn us, yet it did not make us bitter in life but make us appreciate simple things. It teaches us to look around and see the difference on others. Their are lots of people who don't have hands, feet, babies who doesn't even have a change to see the beauty of life. People who have disabilities -blind, deaf and etc. Kids who have broken family, did not have the chance to have shelter, food and even go to school.
Let us appreciate life. Be contented and be grateful.
-margarette01