At dinner sometime ago, my daughter Pizza and my son-in-law Jay were telling us all about their trip to Quezon province with some of Jay’s balikbayan relatives that included three Filipino-American youngsters who were traveling to a Philippine countryside for the first time. She related how tired she was after trying to play nanny to three “super-kulit” youngsters as they kept asking forever the all-familiar question/complaint -- "Are we there yet?" -- expressed in exasperation or boredom (or both) sometimes at the top of their lungs. And how she tried to do anything – tell stories, sing, play games, or just point out the scenery that is new to the children like the rice fields, the carabaos – whatever just to distract them and hopefully make them realize that the journey itself can be fun and even meaningful while waiting to get to their destination some 200 kilometers south of Manila.
Today, my thoughts turn inward and I reflect on my own journey in life as I turn another year older. And I ask whether I have been concentrating too much on my destination and forgetting to enjoy the journey itself; focusing too much on the search for the way to happiness and neglecting that happiness can be found on the way itself, especially among my companions in my journey and basically around me if I will only look -- like the disciples on the road to Emmaus who were concentrating on their destination to get home and did not recognize Jesus until they look closer at the man who were with them on their journey as he broke bread with them.
Let me share then what Father Alfred D’Souza expresses so well in an article about happiness and life’s journey:
“For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin, real life. But, there was always some obstacle along the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served or a debt to be paid. Then I thought life would begin… At last it dawned on me that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.
So treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you share it with someone special, someone special enough to spend your time with. Make the most of your time. Don’t waste too much of your time studying, working, or stressing about something that seems important. Do what you want to do to be happy but also do what you can to make the people you care about happy. Remember that time waits for no one. So stop waiting until you take your last test, until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you have the perfect body, the perfect car, or whatever other perfect thing that you desire. Stop waiting until the weekend, when you can party or let loose; until summer, spring, fall or winter, until you find the right person and get married; until you die, until you are born again, to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.”
Come to think of it now, I too have been asking for the longest time: “Are we there yet?” sometimes in exasperation and boredom. I have not given up! I know that even at my age it is not yet too late to enjoy the journey! "Are we there yet?"
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