Here comes 2010

The first decade of the millenium has come and gone as we ring in the new year. I’m excited to see what 2010 has to offer me and the rest of the world. I’m sure it’s going to be an incredible ride whether good or bad.

2009 came with many blessings and many misfortunes. People came and people went whether I wanted them to or not. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and friends this past year. Many times, my relationships with them were tested, some failed but I’m happy to say most survived any distress. My family and I have become closer though we are now separated by an entire ocean. Though they are halfway around the world, I can still feel their support and their love as I made decisions that either made me or ripped me apart. They are the constant in my life that I know I can rely on no matter what.

My relationships with my friends this past year can be described as an array of heartfelt emotions. One of the friends I considered my closest friend had gone from my life. I always watched out for this one…let’s call him Best. I knew that I cared for this one a lot and I wanted to make sure that Best was always safe and that Best knew that I would always be there. This person made me smile more than anyone this past year. Those little text messages, the smile, and the laugh trips; those are things I will never forget.

I distanced myself from some of my friends choosing to face a lot of my troubles on my own to prove to myself that I don’t need them all the time. I needed to know that I wasn’t resting on my laurels. It brought me to the brink of total destruction as I made decisions that would in the end bring about a very close demise. Thankfully, before I dove into the deep end, my closest friends and allies were there to back up without me having to ask for their help. They were there regardless of my attempts to keep them shut out from my life.

A lot of my past also came back into the picture this past year. Two of the people who affected me the most in the past was thrust into my life once again. It was sudden and it was unexpected. I was not optimistic that things would turn out well. I assumed that we could never get back the relationships we used to have. But looking back now, I see that we became even closer to each other than we ever have before. #2 and I became close friends; something I didn’t know could happen. #1 and I were finally at peace and I didn’t realize that we could be closer than we already were and that we could get to know each other up to the level that we know each other now. I’m glad that we have become even more comfortable with each other.

But with all the fortunes I had with the people around me, there were misfortunes that struck my family, my friends and I. The storm “Ondoy” hit us like we never expected it to. Manilenos alike never saw it coming. We were far too occupied with our petty lives to even imagine such a thing could devestate us so. I for one have never experienced such disaster let alone know so many people who went through the exact same things. I used to just watch the news about such tragedies and think to myself, “that’s sad” without really fully understanding the impact that it had on the peoples’ lives. Now I know how it feels.

Now it’s time for a new year. Let’s let go of the past, learn from our mistakes and live our lives to the fullest. Let’s welcome change into our lives and open our minds to new experiences that could make us better people.

I’m ready for 2010 and I can’t wait to see what it has to offer. Come and join me on this roller-coaster ride.