.. pull back and launch..

(c) Live Strong

It was early morning before the sun had fully risen when I moved out of the small room back in the island of Boracay. I sat on the cemented stair of the currently closed resto. It's not everyday that I get to have a pause, a laidback morning when I am just in a corner waiting for the sun to say hello while the magnificence of the horizon in front of me never failed to amuse my childhood curiosity of what lies after the infinity. The sound of waves are enough so that my heart is attuned to the gift of solitude I wasn't able to find in all those little successes I had earned so far. I was unreluctant to close my eyes amidst the passerby, because in those space, I can see nothing but the goodness of God chasing me wherever edge my feet touches. I am aware of that borrowed moment, a glimpse of what it is to be at peace with whatever and whoever I have at the present. The sands beneath my feet, the warmth it offers on a fine morning assures me that I am so much alive, that I am capable to feel the simple joy of living. 

Pause. Space. Silence.

These are the words I was after at during the days I was in the island. And while I am writing this, I noticed that the "space" bar in the keyboard is actually the biggest among other characters. Canyouimaginemewritingthiswithoutspace? Or is it easier to read it as "can you imagine me writing this without space?" True enough, the beauty of something manifests best after sometime of giving it a space. I've known people who jump from one relationship to another, only to find out that the same mistakes are repeated all over again. The loophole? They didn't give themselves the time to pullback and see the bigger picture, where to improve and mend that part that needs healing before giving themselves into another commitment. I believe you can't give whole from a broken part. And don't expect to get that part from someone else to make you whole. It's dependency, not love in generosity.

To wrap it up, allow time for growth in any area of your life. This is what I've learned from the past years of being single. To root. To step back. To pull a little way behind. Yes, there are uncomfortable days when I wished I was with someone romantically enjoying the island of Boracay, sitting by my side while I am on that pensive mode. On the hindsight, I'd like to feed my trust in the orchestration of my every piece put together for that  bigger picture that is yet to be revealed. 

In our discouragements, the failed attempts out of trying our best, the repeated finding and losing, the missed hits, never forget that God is holding us all the while, pulling us back, stretching us once in a while until it hurts, and then the unimaginable thing happens. He launches us to the greater target: beautifying our soul. 

The Archer knows His arrow and bow. Is there anything else we can do than trust?

"You have the skill, dignity and posture. You have a good grasp of technique, and you have mastered the bow, but you have not mastered your mind. 

You know how to shoot when all the circumstances are favourable, but if you are on dangerous ground, you cannot hit the target. 

The archer cannot always choose the battlefield, so start your training again and be prepared for unfavourable situations. 

Continue in the way of the bow, for it is a whole life's journey, 

but remember that a good, accurate shot is very different from one 

made with peace in your soul.". -An excerpt from the book The Way of the Bow