When I was little there was a common belief among my circle of friends that wishes come true if you wish upon a star… a shooting star in particular. I kind of held on to that belief until maybe high school- when I learned that dreams come true if you work hard for them. But, from time to time, even at this age, I can’t help but wish anyway. There’s part of me which still thinks that, that childhood idea is real.
My father’s house in the province.
We grew up with limited resources. One escape from reality that I remember doing when I was young was to climb up our roof through a make shift wooden stairs my big brother made. At dusks and sometimes early evenings, I would stare at the sky watching the sun set while laying on my back on a rifted roof made of galvanized iron sheets. For a while I would wait for the stars. Then I’d speak to them and tell them what I would want to be when I grow up. Sometimes I have lists- I couldn’t remember exactly what I wrote, but I knew they were simple wishes to better the lives of our family.
Fast forward to many years, my family and my situation now is far more different from what we were when younger. I am not sure if I can totally say that I am successful with my chosen career (as I still feel like I’m lost believe me!). For others that is what it may seem. I am thankful for that perception; it keeps me on the ground and continue what I suppose to do. But I credit this to my own motivation and hard work along with that thought of “your stars were perfectly aligned.”
In my recent trip to the Philippines I have the luxury of spending some time at my father’s hometown. While contemplating, I get to appreciate more our provincial home where we spent every summer as a young kid. Though it is distinctive from the house I grew up in the city, yet there are familiar resemblances to it. I can see handprints of my family everywhere that were no different from the house we lived in the metro. One particular structure that caught me was the basketball hoop my brother made for himself, his son and for my nephews. That brought smile on my face as the sight of it brings memory of my childhood. That night, I set up my camera underneath the hoop and waited for the night sky and shoot for my stars. Once again, I was a child wishing upon the stars…
our make shift hut, now a parking place for the cars.