One Big Question
**What is your essence of being a woman?**
So easy to ask yet so hard to answer. I can't find the right words nor can explain my exact feeling.
This popular question is what I am thinking of right now. A question that I’ve heard from a beauty pageant, and I can’t even remember if this question was from Miss Universe or Miss World Pageant. And the candidate b
eing asked delivered her answer very well. And now I am also asking myself this question.
When I heard this question a long time ago, I really never mind this question. Because at that time, I think if I will be asked with the same question, I will give the same answer, too. But as time passed by, after I’ve got married and have in my womb our first child, *I eventually realized my essence of being a woman.*
In this new chapter of my life, I need to take care not only my husband but also my baby in my womb for 9 months before giving birth. Upon thinking that it is hard for me, I also felt mixed emotions, I am excited to see my first born and at the same time I am nervous thinking what might happen during and after giving birth. *“Lalo na nung may nagsabi na kapag manganganak ka ay nasa hukay ang isa mong paa”*. I don’t even know what does this mean until the day came that I need to give birth 2 months earlier my due date. I don’t even know what to do. What will happen to my child if she will be a pre mature baby? I prayed and prayed to the Lord. And it is an answered prayer that my child didn’t come out early in this world. I am asked by my OB to have a bed rest until my due date. And praise God because I gave birth on the right time.
I can’t explain the pain I felt in the delivery room, until I heard a loud cry from my baby and all the pain I felt was gone and I almost cried for happiness. *”Ganun pala ang pakiramdam’.*
Now that I already have my baby, everything has changed. This little angel of mine has changed my life as a woman. It is harder than before, more sleepless nights taking care of my baby. During daytime, I need to do multi task, taking care of my child and at the same time I need to do the household chores. Tiring but rewarding.
It came out more tiring when I am hired permanently to my job of being a public school elementary teacher. I need to ask my parent to take charge of my angel. It broke my heart but I need to make a decision. And I told to myself that I’m doing this for my baby’s future.
I don’t know how hard it is to be a mother until I became one. I never appreciated my mother’s sacrifices until I became a mother too. Now that I knew the feeling, I really appreciate my mother. I loved her more even she loved more my child than me as her daughter.
Now, I think I know my essence of being a woman, to be a good wife to my husband and a loving mother to my 2 daughters. Every day I may say that it is too tiring doing all my duties and responsibilities as a wife and as a working mom but it is really rewarding. It is my gift from God to take good care of them, to set my priorities, and to manage my time.
I still can't name the exact feeling but being a mom is just really rewarding. Right now, my eldest is already 15 and my youngest is 7 and I couldn't be more happier to see them growing up into such a good children. Whenever I can see them achieving something, whenever they have done something good, I can't explain the feeling but it gives me fulfillment and a rewarding feeling that they are my children and I am raising them up so well.
***How about you? What is your essence about being a woman or a man?***
Hi! This is eljay04 but you can call me Joy. This is just my second article here at read.cash and hopefully, if time permits, I will be able to write more soon since I am an elementary public school teacher and this job requires so much of my time.
I'm still new here and I'm hearing a lot of good things about this platform. I have already read few articles from different writer during my free time and I hope to read more and to meet more people from here.
Thank you for reading this article. See you on the next one.
What makes you happy?
**What makes you happy and how do you define happiness?**
Are you the type of person who likes material things? Are you the kind of person who easily smiles on simple things? Either way, we all have our own definition of happiness and there are different things that can make us happy. But for now, since another school year is about to begin, allow me to share these examples of happiness which I have witnessed on my pupils.
A new bag, notebooks, paper, ballpen, crayons and umbrella. New uniforms, black shoes and rubber shoes with white pairs of socks as well. These are the things that most pupils are looking forward to every beginning of school year. They want to set all things in order because they are excited to go to school, to be with their friends again, to meet their new classmates and teacher.
How fortunate are those who have all they wanted, everything is perfect for the coming school year. Everything is set perfectly according to what they planned.
But how about those pupils who doesn’t have those things? How about those pupils whose parents can’t afford to buy them new uniform and school supplies? How about those who are only using old uniform and are only using recycled school supplies for the upcoming classes, is it still possible for them to be happy and feel the excitement about the upcoming school year?
The excitement of having new things every new school year is always present every school year, at least, back then, on a face to face setting. This is really not a thing right now for we are only conducting modular and online classes however, let me walk you to these scenarios which happened way back 2010 during first day of school.
There’s this first pupil I saw coming to my room, is a perfect example of a model pupil, dressed with her new uniform, wearing a pair of shiny black shoes with her new white socks. I saw the spark and happiness in her eyes holding her new umbrella and carrying her new expensive bag. What a wonderful day to start, I’ve said.
Then a minute later, the second early bird (pupil) came, whistling with the tune of a happy song, by hearing that I know that his heart is full of joy. I looked at him curiously, he’s wearing his uniform but, I think it’s not new. Even his shoes and his bag are old. But happiness and excitement is what I felt his mood that day.
Seeing them happy filled my heart with happiness too. I tried to figure out what made them happy that day. They have different reasons for their happiness. Maybe, the girl *(first pupil)* was happy because she has everything she asked for to have for the school year while the boy *(second pupil)* was happy because he knew that this school year will be another step for him to finish his studies and will make his dreams come true even without everything new.
These scenes made a flashback on my school days, when I was at their age. I remembered my mother also bought me all the school supplies I need. She also planned to buy me new uniforms, black shoes and rubber shoes for my P.E class. I also felt the happiness and excitement my pupils had. Then, it also came to my mind, when I was in my 6th grade, my mother did not buy a new bag for me, she said I can still use my old bag and I agreed to her. She did not buy me new uniform because it will be my last year in elementary so it is not practical to buy a new one according to her. And the last thing I remembered is I happily agreed with her. As a child, I am really not aware if it is good or not good to have new or use my old stuff. What I loved the most is to spend time with my friends, to be with them at recess time, to study with them and to walk home with them. Until I heard the bell ring. I can’t explain the joy it bring to me to start my day with my class.
The two pupils only proves to us that there’s a lot of things that can make us happy. It is true that material things can bring us happiness but not everything is about it. We can still be happy even with simplest things. We may or may not have things yet we can still be happy.
Happiness is immeasurable, there’s no exact measurement where we can be happy. All we really have to do is to be appreciative with all the things we have, to appreciate simple things, to be thankful of what we have, and to be happy that we’re still alive.
Our own happiness depends on us. Smile, appreciate things, be thankful on what you have. You’re in control of your own happiness.
