Life: Then and Now

October 1 | Saturday

I have read @bmjc98 's Five Signs That Your Life Is Doing Better Than Before. She first saw it on Facebook. I find it interesting and relatable so I wrote my version. Before reading mine, make sure to drop by and read her version first: here's the link.

No need to go to the neighbourhood to watch TV

I never watched television with our neighbours as we had a TV when I gained consciousness of the world. It was the old version. The bulky one. It's what they call the hunchback TV. It was small. But it worked well. It was originally my grandma's however my aunt bought her a new and bigger one so we got the small one. Its brand is Panasonic. We got an antenna too. I remember my father would occasionally climb on our rooftop to fix it. We can only watch TV shows from one channel before as we don't have cable. In the morning, I would wake up at the sound of news on the local television show 'Maayong Buntag Kapamilya'.

As we grow up, the TV has made occasional trips to the technician and it has served for a long time. There was a time when our home was filled with silence as the TV broke down but when my sister got her salary from working in a BPO company, she bought a flat-screen TV. Now, only my parents and niece benefit from it as me and my siblings don't have much time.

No more bar soap as dishwashing

When we were in elementary, my sister and I would take turns in washing the dishes. On MWF (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), I would wash the dishes, on TTHS (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) my sister would be the one to do it. On Sundays, my mom would take over. We use dishwashing paste even before. Smart would always be the brand. But when my sister does the groceries, she would buy the liquid dishwashing. When we are out of stock and my parents can't run to the supermarket yet, we would use the laundry bar in the meantime.

No need to wait for a special occasion to eat cake, ice cream, or spaghetti

I can relate to this one. Back then we would wait for birthdays for us to have spaghetti on the table. Our parents aren't fond of cakes. I only got a cake on my eighteenth birthday given to me by my roommates and my best friend. But of course, there were foods on our table when our birthdays would come. No matter how limited my parent's budget was before, they would make sure to have something served on the table when our birthday would come.

I remember when I and my siblings would accompany my parents on our farm when they would gather the coconuts to turn into copra. My father would not commission other people to help him, my mom would help him instead and we join along too so they won't have to leave us at home. For a week or more, we would stay in our little nipa hut, where we sleep and in the morning, we would help carry the coconut fruits to the place where they will be cooked. As we are in the process of doing it, my mother would promise to buy us a litre of ice cream when the copra would be sold. That served as our motivation to stay on the farm and help them. Good old days.

No need to worry about heat waves during Summer

I don't have problems with the hot temperature back then. We also don't have electric fans before. At night, the temperature wasn't an issue as we live in the countryside near the river, it's always cold at night. During the daytime, the weather is favourable too. It was just recently when I feel like the sun's heat would bite my skin. Even when it's hot, I thank God for the provision because we now have ceiling fans at home too. God provides according to our needs indeed.

No need to deal with their house rules anymore

I moved out when I started my year at the university. It was strange to have no parents to come home to every day. There were house rules but it's not the same. Living in the boarding house, I'm not reminded of them always. I would only be reminded when I come home. Even so, I lived according to my parents will back then. There were no hidden agendas and no secrets. I'm an obedient daughter.

Fast forward to the present, I'm now working away from home. I live in a boarding house and I would only come home on weekends. There are still house rules but I'm glad that my parents realized that we're old enough to take care of ourselves. We just need an occasional affirmation of our decisions and guidance at times.

There you go, those are my thoughts about the five signs that life is doing better than before. Even with the adversities, I can say that the present is much better than before. I'm thankful for the provision and the guidance that He has bestowed upon us.

How about you? Care to share yours?

*lead image is from unsplash.com

Thanks for reading friends. Until then.