The Jewel of Manila Traffic
- Amaya Tala
- May 16, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 4, 2024
My Flourishing Journey: Finding the Answers Within
By Amaya Tala
Freedom comes from within.
It was 4am in the morning, I woke up with an intense hurry as I planned to beat the traffic going to my work in Manila, Philippines. Traffic in Manila can go as long as 3 hours. I was working as a Revenue Management Specialist in Philippine Airlines at that time. I would often skip breakfast to get to the bus stop before dawn breaks so I would not have to stand in a bus packed with overstressed people like a can of sardines.
Picture from Rappler.com
As an empath who feels other people’s emotions so strongly, that was painful! I thought to myself, “Life in the Philippines is so hard!” Then I usually go through the rest of my day in survival mode, always watching my back, always having to juggle my unfortunate circumstances, and always having to deal with seemingly endless obstacles and challenges. This was my normal.
The bus I rode to Manila offloaded me at the bus stop far away from my next public ride. I had to walk about 2 miles through Baclaran street, often full of smelly trash and smoke-guzzling vehicles, while wearing my formal office attire with formal leather-like shoes. Walking this far in the middle of pollution was not by choice nor for leisure. It was imposed on me by the circumstances of the land I happened to grow up in. In those moments, I felt very suppressed and trapped. This is a small taste of my daily life in the country of my roots. Rarely can I revel on a patch of green grass. Rarely can I stop and breathe and enjoy the liberation my ancestors fought for.
Picture from TripAdvisor
For my whole life, I had a belief that life is a struggle. Even when I went to the United States for graduate school, I carried the same mindset. The immense amount of studying, research, and deadlines consumed me. One day, I missed a deadline. I cried and I almost gave up! My body and mind were exhausted. But the next day, I found the strength to continue in spite of the hardship. My life followed this template. Struggle comes with success. This was my life.
Then one day, at a peak of a long gradual spiritual awakening process, as I was re-creating the same story line in my community service work, my spirit guides, who I have come to know more already, talked to me. They encouraged me to let go of the struggle. That advice sounded to me like, "let go of your life and let go of your prison." But I thought to myself, "Doesn’t prison need to let go of me first?" But in my own timing, I followed their advice. It felt strange at first but, one by one, I let go. I let go of my tasks. I let go of my plans. I let go of my goals. I let go of my expectations. I let go of my activities. I let go of my deadlines. I let go of my success. I let go of my mission. I let go of my identity. I let go of my life..
Image from Wix.com
The Fruit
And to my surprise, it felt so goood! I felt lighter, less stressed, and less restricted. I wanted more so I started caring for myself more by exercising, eating healthy food, and meditating more often. I felt even better! I started doing what I love to do more and felt even more fulfilled! Then I started focusing on the things that uplifted me. That’s when I realized, I had the power to free myself from the struggle. All this time, I had a choice! If I can feel this good in a world that is supposed to be hard by choosing my responses, attitude, and mindset. What more goodness is possible for me?
Image from Wix.com
That’s when I embarked on my flourishing journey and found many tools and practices that empowered me to take charge of my life. My life cannot be imposed by others unless I allow them. No matter how rough it gets, I can choose my path. I can choose my perspective. I can choose to embrace. I can choose to walk away. I can choose to love others. I can choose to love myself. I can choose to take a break. I can choose to go full-gear. I can choose to be grateful. I can choose to be patient. Those choices make up every present moment of my life. They can make my present either a gift or a curse. Therefore, if I can choose to feel grateful and joyful in the midst of an intense Manila traffic, what more do I need to be free?
~end~
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