At 23: Loving Life and Accepting its Complexities

At 23, I can say that I am living a wonderful life. I have great friends, who are always at my back to support and cheer for me, who are never hesitant to give a hand whenever I need help, and whose shoulders I can always lean on whenever life’s stressors and disappointments get on me.

At 23, I have a fulfilling career. I am a part of not only one environment, but of various ones. I am a teacher, honing minds and preparing students for their dreams. I am a civil servant, serving diverse stakeholders. I am an Applied Communications coordinator, learning new things, creating ways to let new technologies be of reach to our clienteles. I am an adviser, guiding, influencing young minds to create more, learn more, innovate more. I am a Pylonite, who never stops dreaming, who strives to continue improving myself, who teaches, shares and influences. I am a student, never stopping, always craving for more, and believing that learning is infinite.

At 23, I am earning – not that much, but enough… enough for my needs, my studies, and contribute to my family's pot and my brothers' schooling. At this age, I am able to help not only my family, but other people as well in my own little ways.

At 23, I can feel how the bond in my family has grown tighter and stronger. Despite everything that we have been through, we remain united and supportive to each other… and we will never be apart and broken and complicated like my Pa’s family.

At 23, I have a flourishing love life. I have a boyfriend (fiancé na diay… :D), who always makes me feel special and loved, who loves and respects my family, who is very supportive, thoughtful, talented, loving, and who has all the positive traits you can think of (not exaggerating).

At 23, I am happy and contented… not as successful and fulfilled as I wanted (and still want) myself to be… but happy and contented, and loving and accepting life as it is.

This insanity ends here!

Dear Person Concerned,


I want to begin my days anew, with the thought of becoming the person I want myself to be. I want to experience something different in my life-- something that I think is right and could make everyone around me happy. I want to learn form the real world-- from the words I read, the sounds I hear, the things I see, and the touches I feel. I want to live again... this time, without the thoughts of you.

It has been quite while since I lived my life freely-- free from worries and fears, free from doubts and insecurities, free from you. Now, things already fell to their right places. All those questions I've been holding for so long are finally answered. Now I know where I really belong.

Life is a journey filled with many choices, and the challenges and choices that I have now, helped me find the dreams that I know are meant true for me. I know what my heart yearns, but I also know that it's better for me to follow what my mind dictates. Forgetting about how I feel may be such a great task, but I know anything can be accomplished if I just set my mind to it.

It was such a great experience. I've learned so much from it. Now, I'm stronger and I know I can handle things better. I just want to thank you for sharing with my vulnerabilities and making me feel loved, even for a short time. Thank you for all the realizations. It's so funny how both of us realized different things at the same time.

Now, it's over. I called it stupidity before, but I realized later on that it's a blessing from God. May you try to search for a new perspective, lean towards understanding, and find happiness that lasts. You deserve the best in life. You just have to be willing to work for it, no matter how long it takes.

And as for me, I'll go on with my life. We both know that I'm stronger than you are, so you don't have to worry. I'll be right here, in case you need somebody to talk to. Let's just continue with our dreams. The world is such a wonderful place, and we are so lucky to be part of it.