Being Number 1

Something was terribly wrong. My niece had a long face as she stepped out of the car from school. Instead of the usual greeting, she dragged me aside to share her day.

“Why so sad, baby?” I asked. “Because I’m just number 2”, she whispered sullenly.

Ahhhh… that’s a biggie. And she wasn’t only sad. “I’m angry, too.” she mumbled, her little arms wrapped around my neck as I carried her into the house.

The Backstory

Last August, no one was more thrilled than my niece when she learned she topped her class for the quarter. Needless to say, it was a proud moment for a then 5-year old. However, her position was tenuous. The girl who came next to her was within spitting distance so if she didn’t do well the following quarter, there was a big chance that she would slide down from No. 1.

Work harder

Even as small children, there are lessons to be learned about pride. Just because we are the best today does not necessarily guarantee we will remain that way in the future. It never pays to be complacent if you want to be number one or the best because you can never tell how hungry Numbers 2 and the rest are to wrest the position from you.

And little niece was just a wee-bit too confident. Or maybe, she’s just a child who has yet to fully understand that you have to work just as hard, if not harder, the next time around to keep that place. In school, nothing is really handed to you on a silver platter. You must earn every accolade or praise through sweat and tears.

During the first periodicals, she must have aced 6 of the 7 tests. The one she didn’t, gave her a 98 percent. When her test papers for the second quarter came back, only three of the tests came out perfect. She was either careless or was unsure about the items she missed. Still, she remained confident of staying number 1.

Alas… those results were enough for Number 2 to leapfrog her. And so it is that my niece was saddened by the news she received today.

Yet, it was a very proud moment to hear her say she will make it up so she can wrestle back the position the next time. I saw and heard her determination. She had that purposeful look written all over her face.

Only time will tell if she will indeed keep her promise to do better. Kids will always be kids no matter how much they want to excel in whatever they do. And there are days when my niece can be stubborn like a mule and no one can tell her what to do if she is deadset about not doing it… like homework or reviewing her lessons.

If she has learned her lesson after this disappointment and gets her act together to do what it takes to become number one again, it will be a double victory.

There is nothing like hard work and humility to spell real success. Whether you are six or 60. And nobody is ever too young to learn the valuable lessons of life. Overcoming obstacles is always a test of character.

 

Christmas musing

It is 12 noon of December 22. The sky is overcast and in fact, I can hear raindrops overhead and feel a cool breeze.  That’s comforting, but I cannot recall a rainy Christmas. Oh well, this is one Yuletide season where I totally feel out of sorts.

There is no urge to really shop. I’ve been content coming across some tiangge (flea market or bazaar) or store wherever I may be and if I see anything that catches my fancy for someone else, then I get it. Otherwise, there is absolutely no plan in my head what I’m supposed to get as gifts for people. And the really weird thing is I am not panicking or frantic.

If there is anything I truly want for Christmas it is PEACE and QUIET. Since the middle of November my world has been turned upside down, inside out and even as I try to snap out of it, there are too many reminders of what I went through that has seemingly drained me of the Christmas spirit.

I pretty much came to a lot of realizations in the last several weeks, the most important being: money may be the means to an end, but its possession can never truly make you happy.

I’ve been a witness to so many changes around me and what I saw either disappointed, frustrated or appalled me. Not a good feeling with Christmas just around the corner.

Yet at the same time, my experiences in the last several weeks also made me realize that for as long as I am able, and when I know it will make a difference in another person’s life, I can give and give until it hurts. And at the end of it all, I will feel a fullness of heart even when it came as a test of my spirit.

And the tests have been many. But for as long as I surrender it all to the Lord, then I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. There may have been instances when I was impatient — largely because the emotional and mental burdens were taking its toll on me — but I simply had to turn to Him and affirm that my trust was in HIM.

Sometimes, I still get the feeling that everyone wants a piece of me. I’ve been running a thousand and one errands for other people, and I felt I was losing myself in the process. So last Saturday, I made it a point to go out (my decision) and do whatever it is I wanted, and just be ALONE. I relished eating by myself and not having to watch the time because I was expected to do something or be somewhere else. I wish I could sleep the day away but even when I want to do just that, there are too many things happening that make it impossible.

Still, I am grateful. I cannot NOT be. Because I wake each morning, and am able to face the challenges of a new day. I have people who matter to me and my needs are provided for.

I am trying to learn the art of tuning out things in a big way. To just think of happy thoughts, of thoughts that will keep me calm. It is a difficult exercise but I do give myself a pat in the back each time I am successful.

God is with me. That much I know, so all will be right. I simply have to kick myself often to remind myself that.