Tadhana
I have just watched the much talked about "That Thing Called Tadhana" and was a tad disappointed. Was I psychoanalysing too much? Or did all the raves I heard about the film raise my expectations too high that I was left looking for more depth? Throughout the film I was anticipating that scene that would constitute an "aha" moment but got through to the end without finding any.
If there was anything good that came out of watching the film, it was that of being reminded to write about my reflection on the circumstances that led me to respond to the call to social development work, my "tadhana" (destiny).
Yesterday, while travelling to QC from Malolos, I found myself getting restless and decided I would think about something that would divert my attention from the traffic. Before I could even decide on what to think about, I found myself lost in thought on my post-graduation days. I was particularly reminded of that chance meeting with one of my acquaintances in college.
I was in-between jobs (if my situation would qualify as such) as I had just left a teaching "job" I held for less than three weeks and was exploring all sorts of job opportunities. It was a time of great confusion. One day I was applying for an HR job in Makati. Another I was trying my luck with the training department of the newly opened Occupational Safety and Health Center (what fabulous building they had along North Avenue!). The next I was making that trip to far south for a training job in a company that specialized in cleaning agents, which company roused the interest of my tatay simply because the company was a major sponsor of the Philippine Basketball Association. And then there would be days when inspiration drawn from my Theology of Liberation classes would nag me but was clueless as to how to concretely respond to that call for a life of preferential option for the poor.
And so one day, feeling lost and confused and scared (of ending up jobless and a bum), I went to the Ateneo, my second home. I just needed to breathe again that Ateneo air - no, not the elitist "Arneo" air - but that Ateneo spirit that challenged me to reflect and anchor myself in God's call. After the usual ritual of going to the Immaculate Conception (college) chapel and pouring to God all my confusion and anxieties, I took a walk and ran into G.
G was one year ahead of me, a close friend of my close friend's dorm-mate. Responding to the casual "kumusta ka" I told her I was looking for a job. She told me about an NGO she applied with, an NGO with programs on family, women and children. G chose a job with another NGO; I ended up applying for a publications officer role in the NGO's child care program. As the oft repeated line goes, the rest was history.
It's easy to dismiss that encounter with G as something that happened by chance, but the more I appreciate that everything in life is part of a greater scheme of things, the more I appreciate the encounter as an act of synchronicity, part of my journey, or "tadhana." This is an important juncture in my journey that I've never paid much attention to. I've always thought of dearest professor, Bobby G., Theology of Liberation classes, and my days with INDEX (the NGO where G had led me to) as pivotal points in my social development journey, but, really, G was one of the lamp posts in this journey. When all I could see was weeds and deadends, G showed a road that would become an essential part of my identity and vocation.
How easy it is for us to focus on the big "Aha moments" when reflecting on our past and discerning the way forward. Sometimes we miss our G moments which are equally significant and sacred; and it takes a mindful and quiet heart to recognise such moments.
If there was anything good that came out of watching the film, it was that of being reminded to write about my reflection on the circumstances that led me to respond to the call to social development work, my "tadhana" (destiny).
Yesterday, while travelling to QC from Malolos, I found myself getting restless and decided I would think about something that would divert my attention from the traffic. Before I could even decide on what to think about, I found myself lost in thought on my post-graduation days. I was particularly reminded of that chance meeting with one of my acquaintances in college.
I was in-between jobs (if my situation would qualify as such) as I had just left a teaching "job" I held for less than three weeks and was exploring all sorts of job opportunities. It was a time of great confusion. One day I was applying for an HR job in Makati. Another I was trying my luck with the training department of the newly opened Occupational Safety and Health Center (what fabulous building they had along North Avenue!). The next I was making that trip to far south for a training job in a company that specialized in cleaning agents, which company roused the interest of my tatay simply because the company was a major sponsor of the Philippine Basketball Association. And then there would be days when inspiration drawn from my Theology of Liberation classes would nag me but was clueless as to how to concretely respond to that call for a life of preferential option for the poor.
And so one day, feeling lost and confused and scared (of ending up jobless and a bum), I went to the Ateneo, my second home. I just needed to breathe again that Ateneo air - no, not the elitist "Arneo" air - but that Ateneo spirit that challenged me to reflect and anchor myself in God's call. After the usual ritual of going to the Immaculate Conception (college) chapel and pouring to God all my confusion and anxieties, I took a walk and ran into G.
G was one year ahead of me, a close friend of my close friend's dorm-mate. Responding to the casual "kumusta ka" I told her I was looking for a job. She told me about an NGO she applied with, an NGO with programs on family, women and children. G chose a job with another NGO; I ended up applying for a publications officer role in the NGO's child care program. As the oft repeated line goes, the rest was history.
It's easy to dismiss that encounter with G as something that happened by chance, but the more I appreciate that everything in life is part of a greater scheme of things, the more I appreciate the encounter as an act of synchronicity, part of my journey, or "tadhana." This is an important juncture in my journey that I've never paid much attention to. I've always thought of dearest professor, Bobby G., Theology of Liberation classes, and my days with INDEX (the NGO where G had led me to) as pivotal points in my social development journey, but, really, G was one of the lamp posts in this journey. When all I could see was weeds and deadends, G showed a road that would become an essential part of my identity and vocation.
How easy it is for us to focus on the big "Aha moments" when reflecting on our past and discerning the way forward. Sometimes we miss our G moments which are equally significant and sacred; and it takes a mindful and quiet heart to recognise such moments.
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| "The Path" (Salagdoong Forest Park, Siquijor Island) |
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