I found myself strolling around Bonifacio High Street on Good Friday. Staying in the metro during Holy Week is not unusual for me anymore, though I had a brief flashback of childhood days when Holy Weeks were spent in the province. We would stay there the entire week, lounge by the beach which was a few meters away from our relatives’ house, play Monopoly or any board game we have stashed in our bags, and stare at the clock as the minute hand sloooowly ticks. Now that we have dogs to tend to, we find it hard to schedule out-of-town trips. Someone always has to stay at home to take care of our pets. My brothers, both supervisors in two different BPOs, also have to report for work during the holidays.
I was more than happy to join two of my favorite ladies to bond on Good Friday – my travel buddy Cindy and my forever youthful-looking former boss, mentor, and good friend Aina. We dropped by Aina’s place, so I can meet her baby boy, Matteo. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a photo of the adorable, curly-haired baby. Aina’s hubby drove us to BHS where we intended to find a good resto and catch-up on a lot of things – especially those good old times with our former team in the first ever company I worked for.
It was my first time to be roaming around High Street on a Good Friday and boy was I surprised. It was crowded! Most of the restaurants were open and throngs of people were walking around, forming queues outside, and waiting for their turn to eat. The people also took advantage of the fact that there was a Station of the Cross setup in the middle of High Street. Good thing we found a vacant table in Italianni’s, and while munching on pizza and salad and chugging down bottomless dalandan juice (it was sweltering hot outside), we spent about two hours laughing, talking about our former team, and yes, missing how everything used to be.
After pizza, we had dessert at White Hat and continued reminiscing. Aina was picked up by her hubby in the evening so she can spend the rest of the day with her family, while Cindy and I strolled around some more and found a spot in Starbucks near Burgos Circle before calling it a day.
Over our tea lattes, Cindy and I were both laughing at the fact that I got my heart broken on Christmas day, and hers, on New Year. We were both expressing disappointment over some aspects in life. But what I liked about that day – we resolved to do something about it. We didn’t choose to just sit around, waste time, sulk, and feel like the odds are never in our favor.
On my way home, in the cab, I started to realize that the Holy Week is a great reminder of Christ’s sufferings as well as our own. But while we’re still alive, we always have that chance to start over, to look for life’s real meaning by finding out what we really want to do in life, who we desire to spend our lives with, or how we can manage to achieve our goals. In a few hours, we’ll be celebrating Easter Sunday, and I guess this is the perfect time to renew our enthusiasm for life. Sometimes, we just need to be jolted into awareness that everyday is a chance to let go of things that weigh us down and let God lead us to where our heart really belongs.
I hope you all had a great time with your loved ones as you reflect, pray, and enjoy the holidays. Let me be the first one to great you – Happy Easter!
Pink Pens and High Heels 