Waiting to exhale

A break is always good. If you have the chance to change routines, visit a new place or even just to pause — do it. Sometimes, we have to lose ourselves in the unfamiliar to understand the every day. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do just that. 

Albay is a beautiful place. Peaceful, idyllic, almost serene you would never guess that nestled in its backyard is the potential for a catastrophic act of nature. Belying its majestically calm exterior, Mayon Volcano sits in wait. Much like all of us do — we sit, waiting … while underneath are questions, emotions —  unaddressed, raw, and molten at its core. I suppose that’s what happens when life happens to us. Time passing, people passing, everything becomes just weather and we deal only with what is put in front of us — and the rest? Well, the rest will just have to wait.

 So, like many who venture out into the unknown, I found myself in a new place —Legazpi City, with my family about to experience the joy of nature and Misibis Bay. Fortunately for us, we were greeted with kindness and generosity of such a wonderful Bicolano family — the Aquendes, who graciously welcomed us to this amazing place we can all proudly claim as home. After a 45- minute drive from the city, we found ourselves amid a sweet slice of heaven — Misibis Bay.

Lest I begin to sound like a travelogue or even an over-enthusiastic spokesperson of this lovely resort — although needless to say, the experience was wonderful in all aspects — it really is “more fun in the Philippines.” But kidding aside, the breathtaking landscape served as the backdro p for three days of quiet contemplation — a pause, if you will — a chance to exhale.

If you’re anything like me, “pausing” is almost always a matter of default — when you’re either too physically tired or when your brain goes on strike and everything is put on mandatory leave. In this case, it was the former but in either case, a welcome default. Sometimes, nothing has to be really wrong for things to not feel right: No one has to die of cancer, or get fired from a job or even suffer from a broken heart. Sometimes, “pausing” is just about paying attention to ourselves and our thoughts — that is, sometimes the need to stop all the “thinking” is because we’re thinking of all the wrong things.

As we all know, this part of the year is often wrought with well-intentioned January 1 resolutions and if you missed that, you can always begin during the Chinese New Year. So many of us take the time to make lists, read books, and search for the ultimate quick fix. We try our hand at the self-help section of bookstores and find ourselves amid the company of a growing, equally inquisitive audience.

If you’re at all familiar with “inspirational “speakers/authors,” names such as Marianne Williamson, Dr. Wayne Dyer or Jerry and Esther Hicks (better known as Abraham) will definitely be part of your library. And if you’re on vacation, in the middle of nowhere, attempting to pause — at least one of their books will find their way into your suitcase.

They are all both simple and simultaneously profound. Here are some of their main thoughts that may actually move the ground beneath you.

Marianne Williamson

A proponent of the famous “Course on Miracles,” Marianne Williamson is known for that often quoted portion of Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech:

Our Greatest Fear                                 

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

If Nelson Mandela can quote you, there must be something to your message, don’t you think?

Dr. Wayne Dyer

KNOWN affectionately by his fans as the “father of motivation,” Dr. Wayne Dyer has written over 30 books espousing the belief that you really CAN change your life. The scope of his work includes everything, from a treatise on the Tao Te Ching to everyday techniques on altering your perspective to help you find peace and happiness. He is often quoted as saying, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

If you would like to see your life happier without necessarily creating destructive earthquake-like changes within what already exists, Dr. Dyer has much to offer. His own life story will be a testament to his work. How many of us can say that?

Jerry and Esther Hicks

For those of you who are open enough to venture into the truly unusual, not so much in message but in method, you will find that the Hicks’ will provide much insight. Channeling the “Being” called “Abraham,” this duo was one of the original proponents of the concept of manifestation. Long before Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret and countless others, Abraham’s teachings speak of everyone’s innate power to bring into their sphere all that we desire. Sounds “kooky” coming from a channeled voice? Perhaps for some … but the message remains. We can craft our lives into all that we want it to be.

 It all makes for such a simple recipe for life, doesn’t it? But when you’re on pause, on the ground, with a possibly active volcano behind you, you may have other thoughts. But since those thoughts are what got us to hit the pause button in the first place, maybe it’s best to try those that belong to others. The three mentioned may not be such a bad place to start.

As we begin this year, regardless of which “New Year” to follow, resolutions and best intentions for a happier life will undoubtedly abound. But understand that “pausing” is not the difficult part. As we stop, we realize that we have been holding our breaths for so long, bracing ourselves for whatever life may throw at us. Perhaps the key to the happier life is also what we choose to let go of.

So, whether you find yourself in the midst of a beautiful beach or right smack in the middle of Friday afternoon traffic, take the time to pause, breathe in, and exhale. Life is a balance. What you keep in you is equally important as what you allow out.

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 E-mail tc.bautista@arkeology.org.