This is a difficult
day for writing. As I hear the sound of rain outside, it’s becoming unclear why
this cold weather and smell of my favorite coffee are not helping me in
organizing my thoughts. Well, I think I should remind myself that I am a writer
and the most motivating force of all—the deadline—is just a few hours away.
Setting aside other
deadlines I have and some of the work that needs my attention, let me tell you
a story about one opportunity that I failed to seize.
Almost four years
ago, I qualified in an exchange student in Japan. After the rigorous
application and interview I’ve undergone, I finally received a call from UP
Diliman telling me to prepare for my two-week stay abroad. Coincidentally, I am
a representative of our school in a regional press conference that time.
I had to choose
between the two. Back then, a lot of people tried to persuade me to back out of
the writing competition and go on with the opportunity to be an exchange
student in another country. However, what they didn’t know was I am weighing
things between something I’ve long been waiting for and an experience that
could possibly happen once in a person’s life.
To cut the story
short, I chose to stay for the regional competition, and just like that, a big
opportunity slipped away.
****
I grew up in a
family of policemen. My father is a retired Police Inspector and my eldest
brother is a Police officer. Before my second eldest brother left for abroad,
he also used to be a Police officer here in the city. Aside from my family
members, I have some relatives working as policemen, too. This probably
explains why my parents wanted me to become a lawyer. I guess they want their youngest and only
daughter to be in a profession also inclined with public service.
From elementary to
high school, I’ve dreamt of becoming a doctor. I was intended to enroll as a
Nursing student here in AUF, but just before my freshman year started, I had a
serious conversation with my mother which influenced me to reconsider my
decision.
Disregarding my 10
year-old dream, I enrolled as an AB Communication student.
Now that I am in my
last year in this course, how sure am I in pursuing law after college? I still
don’t know. I change my mind every month. There are too many things inside my
head and none of these will really allow me to decide and settle. A part of me
says I should explore the possibility of finding a job related to my degree, while
at the back of my mind, a part of me says my parents must be right because they
only know and want what’s best for me.
Whatever path I
choose, I know that taking up this degree instead of pursuing my long-wanted
dream is not a mistake. I didn’t miss even a single opportunity in this case.
Had I not been brave enough to change track, I won’t be in the situation I am
in right now.
The truth is, now
that I am into communication, I could not imagine myself being in other
courses. In choosing this degree, I met amazing persons whom later on became my
closest friends. I was able to practice my journalistic skills by becoming a
part of The Pioneer and I’ve been to places and experienced great things there.
Most importantly, I was able to realize that I can do some things that I never
thought I’d be able to do.
I have missed and
let a number of opportunities pass. These opportunities might be represented by
different faces, but it all boils down to one message—that there’s a reason why
I backed off from these situations and that in the end, there’s nothing to
lose.
I find it normal to
sometimes wonder what might have happened if I grabbed every opportunity that
presented itself to me. Despite of this, I still don’t regret a thing. Every
missed opportunity taught me to be brave enough to risk and face the other
countless possibilities available around me.
At the end of the
day, I’ve got nothing to lose but more to gain.
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