Old Photographs II

I look at my old photographs and I am transported back to the past, and I become a child again — free and innocent, trusting and guileless; and the tall buildings and the wide streets I see every day become the lush trees and wide fields I used to roam with my brothers and cousins; and those fellows hurriedly walking ahead of, as well as those lagging behind me, become the friends with whom I played hide and seek and patintero; and those annoying sounds coming from factories and buses and cars become the sound of infectious laughter from kids having a good time.

I look at my old photographs and I see myself as the diligent student that I was, burning with determination to better my world and that of my loved ones, full of hopes for a brighter future, bursting with dreams of finding — and marking — my own place under the sun, and jam-packed with ideas to share to the world.

I look at my old photographs and I see myself as a young woman, having her first taste of disappointments, deceit, and betrayal, and taking them all in; learning invaluable lessons from them, and letting them make her hard enough to withstand future tribulations, but soft enough to still know about compassion.

I look at my old photographs and I can’t help but compare the present me to the picture I envisioned myself to become when I reached my present age — and I notice the disparities; but I like who I am now just the same.

I look at my old photographs and I realize I’ve gone a long way from the starting point, but still far away from the finish line. So I whisper to myself: “Long way to go, lady. Keep going.”


//First posted in Manong Rudy's blog in iluko.com...