Simple Joys

Today I walked home after getting of the FX and running an errand at the store. With the P15 I saved I bought a P10 supot of nilagang mais and enjoyed it along the 1.8 kilometer walk home. My left foot, still sore from the gout I’ve been treating, still made it a bit difficult for me to up the pace, but it made for a leisurely walk. I also took a different route than the usual, allowing me to see something different.

Capitol Homes looked so much greener after the weeks of raining, the trees and shrubbery bursting with green and accents of yellow, brown, red, orange, and so many other colors. The variety of plants and trees made for very interesting contrast. I am no tree specialist nor flora afficionado, and so I will not be able to tell one name from the other. In fact, I will not even try figuring them out. One thing – they sure looked lovely today. To me, at least.

Why, you may ask, am I suddenly turning softy praising the appeal of the environment, knowing that I am more comfortable with steel and the sky? For the sake of leaving you some crumbs of truth that I realized during that walk home.

Ten pesos is no small thing unless you want to eat some steamed corn and all (I mean all) your money has been allocated for the month, sans, you guessed it – the corn. But then you realize that our heavenly Father will scour the universe to provide for those he truly loves, in order for us to enjoy a simple treat.

The Fifteen pesos I saved from taking the tricycle is a small thing compared to the twenty minutes I spent of the road home. Here is what I gained:
- Twenty minutes of small talk (but oh so intimate) with God. I enjoyed him so much together with his treat of nilagang mais.
- A reminder that faith isn’t about seeing how or where you ask for will come from. This was because of all the pretty houses I passed by, causing me to wonder how or when I could provide one like that for my wife and kids. But God tells me “won’t you let me take care of that?” and so I tell him, “ok, I believe you. That’s enough.”
- I saw (compared to “I read”) what the Bible meant when Jesus talked about “the lilies of the field”. Of how indeed Solomon’s fashion could not come close to how those trees and plants today looked. If those trees looked majestic, man, God will never leave us in a sorry state.

When I consider and weigh the payoff, I would say I got a good deal on the P15 peso savings. Simple things. But more profound and valuable in return.

For you, this I say: don’t take these small, simple joys for granted. Sweat the small stuff.