Lesson 1: Life isn’t as long as we think it to be so never waste the chance to say thank you, sorry, and I love you.
We all think that we’d live a long life as we’re growing up. Well, mostly everyone does. Only a few people who were unfortunate knew from a young age that they wouldn’t live as long as normal people. There are those who were never given the chance to reach their teens, their adulthood, nor their gray ages. They’d never see and meet the next generation of their family. They’d never see the progress the economy makes.
They know that life wasn’t long and I guess that knowledge makes them more fortunate than any of us. They knew never to take their life for granted. They knew that every moment of their lives count. They always keep in mind that each breath might be their last. Unlike us who were fortunate enough to live long, they see life in a different way. They see everyday as their last. And because of that perspective, they made every moment count. They never wasted a second of each day.
I was still young, around 6 years old, when I met our neighbor’s daughter who was as old as I.
It was my first time to see her. I knew they had a daughter close to my age but she was always inside their home. But today, under the sun’s warm rays, she was playing in their front garden.
I walked up to her cautiously, hoping not to scare her. I wanted to make new friends around our village and I wanted her to be one of them since she’s my neighbor.
“Hello,” I shyly greeted her as my tiny hands fiddled with the hem of my shirt.
She looked up, her eyes wide and bright. Her face was an open book. She was surprised that I was talking to her.
“Uhm… Mommy told me not to talk to strangers,” she whispered.
I smiled at her. “Me too! But I don’t think you’re bad… I’m Jeric! I live there!” I introduced myself as I pointed to the house beside theirs. “We’re neighbors!”
“Oh,” she smiled. “Uhm… I’m Kaye Chua…”
“Hello, Kaye! We’re friends now, right?”
She nodded happily. It showed in her eyes. I was about to ask her if we could play when a woman went out of their house.
“Kaye, honey!” the woman called. Kaye’s attention was immediately on the woman.
“Mommy! Mommy!” she happily ran to her mother. “I met Jeric! He’s from that house!”
The older woman smiled at her child before turning to me.
“Hello, Jeric,” she warmly greeted. “Is your mommy home?”
I nodded vigorously.
