I stumbled upon this quote from @fed_speak at X, "The purpose of life is to experience things for which you will later experience nostalgia."
And this month, most days it felt like I was living in constant nostalgia.
How being in my favorite place—Intramuros—reminds me of my memories with cherished people;
How whenever I eat ice cream, I always remember the days when I was living in Korea, and my friends and I would always eat ice cream after training.
How saying the word 'shala (fancy)' makes me remember my interpreter in Korea who always uses it after I taught her what it means in English;
How eating porridge every time reminded me of that Saturday in Korea when my interpreter took me outside to eat samgyetang after a long day of staying in my dorm to catch up on my classes in the Philippines and assignments that I missed due to training—her thoughtfulness and genuine care for my wellbeing will always stay with me. We even had a long walk because she felt that I needed it;
And how every time I passed by MRT Magallanes Station, I would remember how my senior and I almost got caught jaywalking in that area and had to climb over a barricade—a short, fun, and crazy adventure.
Such a beautiful non-linear journey composed of long chapters that all just happened from last year and up to November of this year.
Experiencing frequent nostalgia this month is proof that I lived fully and loved so much; that despite the anguish and misery that one gets just by simply living, I kept choosing to give and receive love and experience life.
While these memories have a tinge of sadness and longing in them, it is submerhed with joy that I even got to have these experiences in the first place.
My heart is extremely full from realizing that I am a mosaic of the people that I cherish so much. And as a good friend articulated, "The people we care about sometimes leave an impression, and that become a part of who we are."
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