Cheer me up!

Oh hello there.

The week that ended had been pretty harsh and demanding. What else is new, right? 

Bad vibes and bad weather equal to a sick me. Telltale signs include waking up last Monday on a later-than-usual six-o-clock, and the rest of the week was almost the same ---- this only meant that my body was weak and the clock was out of its chronograph precision.  The symptoms of an upcoming not-so-good health proved themselves right. I still found it a good thing (said my positive me) that the high body temperature came in late Friday night so I'd have this weekend to bring it down. And hopefully start the Monday fresh and in the pink of health.

I just had a full brunch after the Sunday service (and the appetite is almost back). The low-key weekend brought me back to January 2013 when I was starting over... A bare blue apartment.

Credits: bumblesandlight.com
My bare blue apartment looked like this, with less windows :)

I bought the bare necessities to help me with starting over. Now, as I sit here while trying to take it slow, I still see an almost bare blue apartment :) Not much stuff compared to  my first foray into independence some years back. 

My apartment's bed on Week 1.
Very little has changed since then.

The furnishings haven't changed much but the philosophies behind them have. I've made the firm resolve to NOT accumulate so much stuff and stick to the bare necessities. The area under my bed is empty --- no boxes of collected knick-knacks and memorabilia. My clothes fit the smallest wardrobe cabinet I found; I think that I can fit all of my clothes into two suitcases in case (just in case) I need to relocate. My dinner wares are just enough to serve one decent meal. The curtains I used are the ones that I can leave behind. I only have one set of bed sheets and pillowcases that I had to make do with an uncovered bed mattress and pillows during wash-days. In short, I'm living with the mindset that I am not anchoring myself permanently, that this is temporary, and that I can easily pull away my roots in case I need to.

I don't want to be anchored too deep because I know that I can make plans (like I've always had) but I recognize that God has the better plan. In case He leads me to a different path, I should be ready. Anytime.

What cheered me up? Please click 'Read more'.

The "temporary" mindset does not prevent me from leaving a personal touch though. One day (just last week), I decided to bring in the sunshine --- something that's also temporary but brings me good vibes when I see them fresh and beautiful. FLOWERS.

Pretty, beautiful and lovely things make me happy. They make me smile that SMILE that reaches the eyes (the genuine one). Thank you Heavenly Father for these fresh flowers. Their beauty and the positivity they bring out just show how wonderfully created they are.

I think that the man who will give his wife or girlfriend a weekly supply of flowers had not been born yet. And I can't wait for him (LOL). Others may think that spending a hundred pesos (about three to five dollars) on these beautiful things may be a waste of money with no investment returns. But the definition of "returns" is different for each one of us. For me, I find the returns of "happiness and cheers" from looking at these fresh cuts everyday as PRICELESS.

The pretty yellow things for the week

These are little personal touches to cheer up my otherwise bare blue apartment. I may leave and move on to some other places and chapters of my life someday. The flowers will wilt and will be replaced. When I finally leave for good, the few square meters of space will be back to bare and blue. But I will remember the days of coming home to this little space with the pretty flowers in the corner. Those memories will cheer me up and bring back good vibes. Wherever God's plans will take me and whatever ministry He will give me, I will associate positivity with the memories of these pretty, beautiful and lovely things.

Ciao dears and may you find your bit of sunshine! 
Love lots, Gen.