ONE DAY AT A TIME

Once there was a man who would go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

...

Today, I had another visit with my good doctor. I had just gone through a series of laboratory tests last week and all of them came up clear except for one. My breast ultrasound showed that I have a new lump on my other breast.

I was just trying to explain to a dear friend my sense of humor amidst this apparently daunting task of conquering cancer. Because she always knew me as one who was fretful and a perfectionist, the carefree attitude and positive outlook that I display these days are, for her, out of character. Having just dealt with the other lump I found a few weeks ago, she could not help but wonder if this would ever end…the searching, the finding, the removing of every little lump that grows in my body. How could I find happiness amidst all these, she asked.

I remember once, when Oprah Winfrey was asked how she runs five miles a day, she said, "I recommit to it every day of my life."

I think happiness is like that.

Every day we have to renew our commitment to assertively pursue happiness. It won’t just come to us. We have to make it happen, regardless of whether one is certain of a long life ahead or not. It is a choice we make to see the beauty of the things around us or focus on the little missing details, to run after the grandoise dreams or be happy with each moment with our loved ones.

It's a decision we need to make every single day.

Ironically, I can say that in between my doctor's visits and treatments, I have found my true pleasures. Now, everyday that comes is a new day to worship God..lavish love on my family...show kindness to whom I meet...find comfort in my husband's warm hand...play with the little kids from Nursery class...laugh at my friends' funny stories...savor that banana que I bought from the corner...spend that hard-earned peso shopping with Angela in SM City.

I have learned to find joy and own it as mine.

Tomorrow morning, I will go to the hospital for about an hour to undergo another surgery. But after that I will have the rest of the day to embrace laughter and hope again.

Much like the starfish thrower, I am doing it one at a time and that is how I think life should be lived, after all. One day at a time.

Until the days turn to weeks, the weeks to months, the months to many years.