Yesterday, I had a bit of a unique experience. Some of my neighbors, families that I’ve known all my life, have gone through significant life events. One of our earliest childhood friends laid their father to rest. On the other hand, another family in our neighborhood lost a baby (😭), and was also laid to rest.

When I first heard about it, I didn’t think much of it, perhaps because I was still processing everything. However, visiting them truly made an impact on me.

Our first stop was at our childhood friend’s father’s wake. We know each other’s siblings. They were like an extended family. Seeing them again after decades was emotional. They had last seen me when I was still in grade school before they moved away from our neighborhood, but seeing them yesterday and hugging them, not just normal hugs, but full bear hugs, felt like I was transported back to my childhood years.

Seeing their older faces while still recognizing the same eyes and smiles shifted something inside me. It reminded me that yes, time has truly passed. Seeing their father peacefully resting there made me confront the reality that moments like this are inevitable. These are my parents’ peers, and I can’t fully articulate how that affects me, but something inside me was stirred.

We talked for a bit, reminisced, and they asked about my siblings. I told them that I’m the only one left here. I sent photos of them to my siblings through our family group chat, and they all recognized those same familiar faces, just older versions now. It felt so touching. In a way, I feel like I reconnected with my childhood self.

In that same memorial building (I'm not sure if that is the correct term), we moved to the next room to visit the next family. I thought I was ready, but upon opening the door and seeing that small casket, I felt my energy change. It was my first time to see something like this, and when I approached and looked at the angel laid inside, I couldn't help but tear up. I think it hurts more to see something like this versus the previous one we visited, because for the case of the father, he has already lived a life, and it felt right to have him resting now. But for this little one, a rush of what-ifs came in, the life he could have lived. 😭

Between these two deaths, the latter feels more painful because that short-lived life carried so much potential. It had only just begun. Everyone was anticipating the arrival of an angel, but due to certain circumstances, that life was gone almost as soon as it arrived. 

I am still absorbing the lessons and realizations from these experiences, but the overarching lesson that I am getting here is to always celebrate life, even if it lasts only for a short while, whether hours or decades. Every life is loved by the people around them, and the time spent with those people, how long or how short it could be, still holds the same value altogether.

Life is precious. So while you can, hug the people who are dear to you. Tell them you love them, whenever you have the opportunity. This life is just something borrowed, and we never know when the last chance for a conversation or interaction will come. Every moment counts. Every moment is precious. Every moment is something to be cherished, forever. ✨

This annual conference (also referred to as Discon) is a weekend-long event that Toastmasters from all over the country participate in. This is my second time attending. My first one was held in Cebu. For this year, it was held in Pampanga. It was a jam-packed weekend with many social events and opportunities to meet fellow Toastmasters from all around the country. I had a great experience, and I am still hyped; I should be physically recovering from the event, but my mind is still buzzing from all the things that happened, so I knew I needed to unpack and process them all here. 📝

One of my reasons for joining Toastmasters, aside from the usual goal of developing public speaking skills, is my fascination with listening to other people's stories. I am truly captivated by the narratives shared through speeches by each member, since I can pick up nuggets of wisdom from every speaker I listen to. Part of the activities in the Discon is the speech contests finals. The contest has different categories (Table Topics, Humorous Speech, Evaluation, and the International Speech). I really got to enjoy watching the International Speech contest speakers. I felt incredibly inspired by the speeches delivered that I couldn't put my phone down because I was busy taking notes. 😅 

Here's what I have noted down. 💗

The speech was about not going with society's expectations for certain timelines because, of course, we know that comparison with others is the thief of happiness. I've heard this message so many times: everyone has their own pace. You don't have to compare yourself with others. However, what sprinkled the ✨magic✨ for me was when he said:

In nature, there are no timelines.

Do flowers bloom all at the same time? 🌷

Do stars shine at the same levels? 🌟

Each living thing having its own timeline actually makes nature beautiful, just like flowers. Each of us is a unique creature, and collectively, that makes us all beautiful, fascinating, and amazing. At that moment, I felt like senses got hyped up, like I was receiving energy from somewhere. It was a full circle moment because I have been receiving messages from the universe about the theme of being one with the universe (through that recent astro camp that I participated in, which I have not yet written here about 😅), and so hearing that same message in a different form really hit the bulls eye for me. 🎯 I was in a public space so I had to contain some of the emotions (HAHAHA or else my clubmates would see me breaking down LOL) but I got really teary-eyed, and as the speech concluded, I felt a tear flow down my cheek. It was just the first speaker, and so I felt like I was really in for a good show for that day (also thanks to our mentor for reserving us the best seats in the house ✨).

This speech was about pursuing your dreams as long as you're alive and breathing, and not giving up on what you truly want to achieve in life. One of the driving points of his speech was that if you're still here, still alive, still breathing, it means that you are not done. It means that you still have a purpose in this life, and there is still something worth pursuing.

This resonated with me, especially with the recent themes in my life. As long as I'm breathing and alive, there is still a purpose for me. There is still something worthwhile for me to do in this life. It was a beautiful reminder to live fully: having dreams and goals, and simply enjoying life while you're still alive.

It was an inspirational speech about doing things even if you're not ready. Because really: when are we ever ready?

One of the phrases that I really liked from that speech was:

"The experience itself frees us from the fear of it."

There are many things that I was afraid of trying or doing because of the fear of the unknown and uncertainty. But as soon as I exposed myself to it, as soon as I did the very thing that I was afraid of, I realized it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Apparently, it was all just in my head.

Hearing that statement reminded me of that fact and further inspired me to continue this current journey of being adventurous: exploring things and doing things that I have not been doing for a while, experiencing things for the first time. As I have written previously in some of my recent posts, if fear is the only thing that prevents me from doing something, the more I want to push myself to do it. So life, let's goooo! ❤️‍🔥

This speech was in my top three. The speaker brilliantly represented milestones of his life with shoes. Some of the things that resonated with me are: 

"Why are you dreaming of a size A life while living a size B life?"

"Why do you continue to live small?"

"The more I want to fit in, the more I feel like I don't belong anywhere." (this is soo chef's kiss 👩‍🍳😘)

"I didn't lose; I just didn't win."

"Life is not a clearance sale; if it doesn't fit, don't force it." (I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH AS WELL ✨✨✨)

This one is about the theme of stepping out of our comfort zones. Her opening hook was: 

"We only live once. I want to live my life and be able to say that... I did that."

She talked about her experience of trying surfing for the first time, and some of the metaphorical phrases she used in that speech were:

"Sometimes, water feels like it holds all the deepest and darkest secrets, only to realize it’s just waist-deep."

"We are not drowning: just overwhelmed: and we just have to open our eyes."

It's so relatable to my current experiences in life (🫂). Sometimes the mind overcompensates or overreacts to things. We tend to overreact and overlook the simplicity of situations. We just have to change our perspective to see things from an easier angle.

This one is about battling addiction. It resonated with me again, especially with my current struggles of feeling out of control because of certain habits that I have. He narrated how you might think you're okay, but because you were engaging in those habits subtly but consistently, day after day, little by little, everything seems fine: until you realize that you are already out of control.

He ended his speech with:

"I'll stay with you until your "just one more" becomes "no more" 

After all the speakers had finished delivering their speeches, I could really feel the buzz in the air. It felt so inspiring. I got reminded of one of my "whys" in Toastmasters: listening to speeches that truly move me. Hearing these different, inspirational stories is powerful: they can really move mountains and emotions, and I want as many people as possible to experience this magic. ✨

Also, I am also just so thankful to have the resources to experience Discon again this year. I'm locking in for Discon 2027, which will be held in Davao. There might still be unknown factors at this point (logistics, etc) but I want to be there again.

This might sound a bit dramatic, but Toastmasters is something I can't walk away from anymore. Being a member of this organization has enriched my life in many ways. I want to continue that. Toastmasters will be my fuel for living this life: being inspired by people, meeting people, and being moved by their stories.