“It is giving that we learn to appreciate that what we already have is more than enough.” I felt a slight nudge on my back while we were having a post-breakfast conversation with my fellow friends from my Instagram travel group. We were headed to discover Hulugan Falls, a waterfall that recently became an internet sensation here in the Philippines, when we decided to stop by a small town to have breakfast. We were swapping stories when this young boy, about the age of 7, tapped me on the back, gestured towards my unfinished breakfast, and was asking if he could have the leftovers.
I briefly excused myself from the group, stood up, and assisted the kid to a separate table and handed him the serving bowl that still had half of the noodle soup that I ordered. It is during these moments that I close my “loop of gratitude” – an act of thanksgiving by paying things forward in my own little way. As the little boy settled down, I had a final check on him and he returned the favor by breaking into a smile. It was then that I knew that I have once again closed my gratitude loop. Being a Filipino, our culture have taught us that no amount of hardship or calamities can take out the smiles in our faces and hearts.
We are taught, at a very young age, that we might not be blessed with the riches that other nations may have but we are blessed with a family and a community who are always ready to reach out a hand when needed. Thus, it is not an uncommon sight to see Filipinos break out into a smile even in the most challenging times knowing that we have a strong support system to carry us through. My travels around the Philippines have exposed me to these unique character of Filipinos. I have met with different persons and have heard their life stories – from the boatman of my rented outrigger boat to the sophisticated traveler on her way to the country’s party island. It all boils down to one thing – it is all about finding the things, no matter how small, that we should be grateful for and to appreciate it enough to spark that hope that better things are still to come. I guess that is enough to make one smile. Looking back, I am grateful that I have lived my live far from the harsh realities that some of my countrymen have to go through. I am grateful that I have parents who managed to give me a proper education, to which they have always emphasized that it was best thing that they could give me in their lifetime.
I am now reaping the benefits of that good education and, more importantly, it has also given me the opportunities where I can pay things forward. I have always believed that the real measure of gratitude is when we are able to reach out a hand to a person in need, even if it comes at a time when one may also need help. Gratitude is being able to see beyond what we need, appreciate what we have at the moment, and find, even in the smallest way, that we can lend a hand to someone else. This is the true test of gratitude. In the end, the act of being thankful through giving will imbibe in one’s heart the value of contentment.
We start to learn that whatever we have in our hands right now is sufficient for oneself and can even go beyond onto another person’s hand. It is then that we realize that we receive more when we start giving. I hope and pray that my act of gratitude to the young boy will be etched in his mind. I hope that it will help him find the small reasons to be grateful and to use these reasons to keep the fire of hope burning inside him. The hope that things will always be better. I hope that someday he will grow up to be in a position where he can be a person of gratitude and be someone’s messenger of hope. Finally, I hope for you to be grateful enough, for everything that you have now, and to close that loop by paying it forward. I hope that you will make somebody smile today.
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