illusions

You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. You're always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past. -Richard Bach (Illusions, 1977)

I just returned to my Vasco Da Gama room after a candle-lit dinner by the Mindanao Sea with some Facebook friends, people with whom I spend a few days in exotic locales every couple of years. We're all here for a wedding, and while talking to Cathy, the bride, we realized that it has been around ten years since we last talked to each other.

Yet I feel like I know her very well, perhaps because we went through an intense experience together- perhaps because, as Richard Bach said, we know our friends in the first minute we meet. You see, Cathy accompanied me in my first trip abroad- to Beijing- and for me was a calming presence. At one point, she even helped carry my luggage in the Manila airport! Beneath a graceful exterior was a strong spirit. And it was in Beijing where she met Laurent, who she'll marry tomorrow.

The day has been magical for me. Each of my friends is surrounded by an emotional zone- when we talk, I see a flesh-and-blood person, and I also see the wonderful places and people we've seen together. It's almost like watching a film, or living episodes of my life all over again. I even bumped into someone who's not a Facebook friend, but who once made my days better- and helped me achieve more than I could have by myself. So it's an unforgettable day in a special place.

I also see how I'm changing: a part of me can now view emotions with disinterest, or at least amusement, instead of being overwhelmed by them. It's time to change the "Romeo and Juliet," roller-coaster script of my most important relationships- perhaps for me tomorrow's wedding of Cathy and Laurent would also mark a turning-point, a graduation into the next stage of my journey.