Coughing like a barking dog, my body felt weak and tired. My body went on strike. I could not force it to sit up and write, hit the gym, or even simply leave the house. It refused. I succumbed to bed rest. For hours, I watched movies on my laptop. Feeling sick, all I was something bright and cheery- a mindless romantic comedy to be exact!
I came across The Fault in the Stars, a 2014 hit in my choices. In minutes, I realized it was not the light and cheery romcom I craved for. It was about death and how two dying teens had fallen in love with each other.
Death is a topic most of us hate to talk about. But somehow this week, it kept creeping up. Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, passed away last Monday. On Tuesday, a Germanwings plane killed 150 passengers and crew of Germanwings at the French Alps. Catholics too entered the solemnity of Holy Week yesterday with Palm Sunday, leading up to the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday. It is timely to reflect on death now. We cannot really choose when or how we die. But we can surely choose how we live.
So as I was sick and doing the very ugly cry alone in bed watching, ‘The Fault in the Stars,” it was not at all the feel good flick I hoped for. But it surely left me with nuggets of wisdom to chew on. Augustus Waters, the lead character in the movie said,
“You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you. And, I like my choices.”
This holy week, I will be pondering my choices. I want to be like Augustus Waters boldly able to say, “I like my choices.” I want to be able to say those words not just at my last dying days, but I want to boldly say those words every single day I am live.
So go on… Live, love, laugh…. And choose wisely!
Maida’s Touch: Feeding Restless Appetites
MaidaPineda.Copyright2015.
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