A Walk Through The Night

 “Human happiness is defined by the hardships and conflicts you have been through. The greater they are, the greater is your happiness.” 

Why do rich people are usually unhappy? If we'll come to think about it, they should be the happiest people on earth because they can get any material things that they want.Ironically speaking, it is the other way around. Why? Because it is JUST the MATERIAL things that they could get, for sure, when they ask for it. But not the GENUINE things that the poor can get effortlessly. True friends. Sincere care. Heartfelt concerns.Loving Family. Life is still 'that' fair.

Last night, my girlfriend and I were walking on the sidewalk of Angono Marketplace when we saw a couple selling random stuff like headbands, oil, candies, cigarettes, etc,. It's kinda unusual for me to see couples selling together on a sidewalk. So we approached them and have a little conversation. We asked them some personal questions and gladly, they answered us with no hesitations at all.


" Ate taga Angono rin po ba kayo?"
" Oo. Matagal  na kami dito."
" Matagal na rin po kayong nagtitinda?"
" Oo, eto yung ikinabubuhay naming mag-asawa eh"
" Ganun po ba? May mga anak po ba kayo na sumusuporta sa inyo?"
" May mga anak kami. Apat nga sila eh. Kaso wala na sila dito sa Angono. Nasa Maynila na silang lahat. Mas maalwan kasi ang buhay nila doon. "
" Mga graduate na ho sila?" 
" Yung isa pa lang. Yung panganay namin maaga nag-asawa eh. Pero sa awa naman, matino naman napangasawa. Yung isa naman naming babae. Yung pangalawa, yun yung nakapagtapos na. Sinuportahan nun sarili niya, makatapos lang. Ang hirap kasi talaga ng buhay ngayon iho, iha. Mabuti na lang at nakahanap agad siya ng trabaho. Siya na nagpapa-aral dun sa dalawa pa" 
" Eh di yung dalawa po dun sa pangalawa niyo nakatira?"
" Oo. Kelangan eh. Nagpapadala na lang kami minsan doon kapag may sobra kami dito."
" Hindi po ba kayo nalulungkot na malayo kayo sa isa't isa?"
"  Ay Diyos ko Anak, napakadami na ng problemang pinagdaanan naming mag-anak. Baka sa isang linggo pa matapos pag sinabe ko sa inyo lahat. Wala na samin yung mapalayo sa mga anak namin. Syempre, nami-miss namin sila. Yun bang hinihiling mo na sana, di na lang kelangan na mangyari yung ganun nga. Pero ganun talaga ang buhay, kelangan natin magtiis kung minsan. Kaming mag-asawa, masaya kami kahit pa ganun yung sitwasyon namin. Para naman yun sa ikabubuti ng mga anak namin eh. Pasalamat nga kami't hindi kami sa kalsada natutulog at kahit papaano'y nakakapag-aral ang aming mga anak. Hindi tulad ng ibang bata dito sa kalye, namamalimos ng barya tapos makikita mo na lang ipaninigarilyo lang. Nakakalungkot yung ganun. Kaya masaya kami na nasa maayos pa ring kalagayan ang aming buhay. Pinagpala pa rin" 


And those sentences made us smiled. Maybe it was a cliche story, yet it is still heartwarming to hear stories like this directly from the people who are experiencing such situations. This is the wonder of Filipinos, we always look on the brighter side.

Optimism. This will be a forever-attitude of Filipinos, just like the couple that we have interviewed.  Funny because we forgot to introduce ourselves and ask for their names. But I am so happy that Manang gave me an opportunity to take a picture with them.

There are only a handful of Filipinos who are rich in terms of money, BUT there are so many Filipinos that are rich in terms of what their heart contains.