i was a successful public relations executive in my hometown's leading international hotel. for over five years, i gained the respect of colleagues and recognition in the industry. a few envied the status i've achieved at a young age while my family took pride. a bright career path was laid out before me. so it was a big surprise when i quit my job, packed my bags and headed to australia. not the most practical decision since no new job was in store, no relatives were there to take me around. just a thirteen year old promise to an aussie-pinoy friend and the unexplainable urge to go fueled by wanderlust.
everyone who knows me well enough is no stranger to my incessant travel bug. annual vacations were spent on islands surrounded by the pacific ocean. spur of the moment decisions were made to travel to strange lands. i come back poorer and happier each time, with a bunch of photographs that were much more anticipated than my arrival. for a long while i justified keeping my dayjob in order to support traveling, until my office and eventually the world had become very small. i have traveled to new destinations and in doing so, arrived to a better understanding of myself and what i truly want. after months of mapping out the near future and tons of indecisive moments, i finally did it. i took the first step in changing my life.
how often do we really listen to our passions and go after our dreams - a romantic notion and a frightening reality altogether. i realize that inspite of all the skills i've acquired and the knowledge i've embraced these past few years, i am still the child who loves to take evening walks and can gaze up the stars for hours, trying to figure out the constellations. i'm the girl who grew up, still loving the ocean and dreaming of circling the globe. i must admit i own too many dreams for one lifetime. trust me, becoming a writer-travel photographer-marine biologist-hollywood ingenue-chef-guitarist-and fashion designer may be a few steps shy from impossible. the point is, there are so many things to do and love in this world. with each journey that i take, i rediscover myself and my passions. with each journey, horizons are stretched and beliefs are challenged. i grow with a better grasp of human nature and more importantly, an appreciation of being on my own - and being happy with the only constant company i keep.
now you may think I've done it!... in a way, maybe i have. i've gathered the right amount of craziness and courage to follow my dreams, reckless as they may seem. but my story doesn't deserve a page in some glossy magazine (not even a paragraph!). not yet anyway. i still haven't achieved what i've set out for. i'm back home from a month-long sojourn in a foreign land and the balloons that brought me high up in the skies are popping one by one, bringing me down slowly to reality. some days doubt sets in, uncertain if my will is stronger than fate. there are days when i can't wait to jump on the next plane and spend the last of my savings for yet another string of exciting discoveries. but not once have i looked back with regret for leaving that old life behind.
if there is one thing that i am sure of, it's this - this yearning inside can only be pacified by distant shores, of adventures waiting to be told and the freedom to be whoever i want to be in a place of my choosing. yes i'm fresh out of the cocoon, still struggling through life's somewhat unreasonable obstacles, fluttering in mid air. in my heart i know i will get there, wherever it may be.
and when that time comes, i'll let you know. if only to inspire and wake another free spirit to spread her wings and take flight.
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