“That was lifetimes ago.”
One Friday evening in June, I got to catch up with an old friend via phone call. What was supposed to be a quick call evolved into a long conversation that lasted for over an hour.
“Kumusta?” “How are you?”
How much can you tell a friend that you have not talked to in over a decade? I was tongue-tied. Where do I start?
I’ve known Adjeng since we first met at one of my OJT stints in theater. She was one of the actors in our show, and I was the (relatively) quiet college kid. We met again a few months later when I was working for an acoustic concert series for a common friend’s band, and her own band was the front act of each show.
I didn’t know it until then, but I was darn glad that she was part of the event. I was going through a really rough patch, and she became my confidante.
Fast forward to two decades later, and there we were, talking on the phone. Talking about what I went through at that time. And we were laughing about it. LAUGHING. And to think that back in 2003, I was a huge mess that it took a while to muster a smile to show that I was trying to be professional. We grew up. It just happened. I forgave certain people long before they even apologized. And in the process, I also forgave myself.
“That was lifetimes ago.”
I had to laugh when I said that. Because that’s what it felt like. I am now so different from that quiet, awkward girl in 2003. She hid in the corner of every rehearsal room during choreo days, and panicked at the slightest thing. She would melt into the floor, especially when her heart got crushed.
In a way, and in time, she grew up.
She did things that scared her. She learned how to dance, she conquered her extreme case of stage fright, and even learned how to face an audience that was bigger than she ever thought possible. She renewed her Catholic faith and dedicated her time and talent to service.
Her heart, despite the dents and bruises, managed to get through so much.
When we think back about those times when we felt that the world was falling apart, we suddenly realize, as we look back at them, that all that is finally over. What we thought we couldn’t do, we did. We got over things, and even people. We got through all those.
With faith in Him and in ourselves, we survived.
We walked on water.
I like the term "walking on water." After I told Adjeng over the phone about what I had been up to, she mentioned that she had finished a song that she was planning to release, and she got even more excited about it. When I listened to the song for the first time, it really spoke to me. It reminded me of how many times I was so afraid of everything before I started leaping into my courage zone. I stepped in faith and out of my comfort zone, and walked on water.
