*verdad

when i got back from school, drenched with sweat and exhausted from a long walk home, i immediately changed my clothes and laid on my bed. i closed my eyes for a few minutes to catch my breath and the previous hours' happenings flashed before me. the whole day, although it wasn't apparent, i was complaining about almost everything; that the sun was too hot, so many lessons missed [because of being excused from classes], not having perfected the parliamentary procedures, the poor service in the canteen, my damaged bag, my lost pen, the broken love affair of two friends, my complicated situation with a female counterpart and much more [i could go on forever. lol].

i opened my eyes and saw this fluttering little brown butterfly rest on the wall against me, as if taking a nap after a long day [just like me]. seconds after, a grayish-green lizard appeared from out of the blue. it was almost theatrical, i even imagined a happy, colorful scene disrupted by the villain with a sinister laugh. the lizard stayed about three inches away from the butterfly for what felt like a lifetime, seemingly calculating every move of his dinner. the lizard took it one step at a time. and when his dinner was ensured, he took the chance and advanced the butterfly. with its mouth wide open, the lizard bit the butterfly in the most barbaric way, consequently being eaten alive. still fluttering in the lizard's mouth, the butterfly was slowly withdrawing its existence just because it rested in a spot where a lizard was also incidentally present. the lizard, on the other hand, did no crime or injustice since if he had not done what has just been done, he would have committed a crime against his own life. it was just a matter of chance. being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong presence.

this revealed right in front of my very eyes, how short life can be, how it can end in just seconds, and how it can end so painfully.

i realized that, cliche as it may seem, LIFE or its end is an unpredictable phenomenon. i could die next year, tomorrow or tonight or even right now while i'm writing about it. while we're still walking here on earthly grounds, we should learn how to appreciate life and everything it offers us; boundless gifts of nature, the privilege of co-existence and the miracle of love in friendships and romance.

live life to the fullest in order for you to receive the fullest blessings that life can offer.

• LIFE - a limited luxury wherein the weak in the sense of wisdom suffer and the strong at heart, faith and insight linger.
  
• appreciation- the greatest form of recognition.