Lessons of Donuts (May 15,2007)

The Lessons of Donuts
By: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

I found myself crying like a three year old the other day. Tears ran down my reddened eyes and I was blazing mad forcing my head under my pillows. Just when I woke up and greeted a lovely morning a depressing revelation brought raged the lethal dragon in me. I happily skipped towards our dining table hoping to munch on the sweet donuts I have been craving on since last night. I even dreamt of how I would chew the sugary goodness, of how every bite of the soft dough would make me like a wild man. But, when I opened the donut box my day became a blockbuster hit horror film. I found nothing inside the box, but pieces of scraps and messed up confectioners’ sugar; they all told the sad story of how my family betrayed me. There were a dozen of donuts inside that box and they never left me with one. I started to act like Sherlock Homes and investigated on this family fiasco. According to my detailed inspection, I have decoded that my mother ate 3 donuts, my father did so with another 3 and my brother ate 6. After the revelations, I gave no reason and just burst out into my childish tears.

Funny, how an upcoming college student would react on such a petty situation. But let’s not talk about my childishness. After my drama sessions and after I wiped my priceless tears I started to reflect and realize some simple things that donuts made me remember. I cried because I never got to taste the sweet donuts that day, but I never noticed that other children never even tasted donuts in their lives; worse not know what a donut is. I was so preoccupied on my selfish whims, that I forgot I already have more than I need, while others don’t have even just a pinch of what I am enjoying. I hate flashbacks, but I started to have one. I recalled how I refused to eat because we only had fried fish and tocino for lunch. At that moment, I barely know how other people strive just to have food on their table. There was a time that I was using the computer for internet when a shocking power failure stroked me burning mad. I moved out of the computer and murmured to myself how despicable my life is at that point in time. Silly me, there are families who doesn’t have electricity the whole day, there are youth my age who never got to touch a computer. Last Sunday, I was practically brainstorming on what clothes to wear for Church and our family day. I heaved a deep sigh and whispered how my cabinet shouts out the word plain boring, how I wear the same shoes thrice a week, how I have the same dull outfit almost every time I go out. Once again, I was idiotic, many girls my age would do anything to get a cabinet filled with clothes, many people are without fancy shoes, worse, and many people go around the streets naked.

I didn’t realized how much I already have in life compared to many others. A stab in the back for my parents who does almost everything in the world to provide our family with what we need. Actually if you put it in a simpler view, our desire sprouts out on how we see our happiness. If you’re happy already with a simple lunch together with your family, you won’t go looking and striving for a buffet meal at a classy restaurant. There’s one thing man really finds hard to obtain, that is the state of contentment. I have so little of experience and a few thoughts to share, but in the eyes of a youth like me, there are still times I’m already happy when I get to play my guitar even without getting the chords right, when I get to see my parents work things out after a cold fight, when I sit down and play chimpoy champoy with my brother. Those times I wish I would always think and be in the state of. Adam and Eve could have had eternal life according to the Bible, if they didn’t have the desire to be more than or equal God. They could have had acquired immortality if they have been contented. That is life’s battle, man’s quest in finding his own happiness. I guess I couldn’t explain more than just citing my experiences for I still have more armor to be ironed, and more training to take in this life long battle. But, I have found a quite simple starting point to win my battle. Take delight in simple things, because sometimes you’ll find extravagant joy in the simplest of situations. I’m not saying you’ll not dream big, in fact I once dreamt of becoming an astronaut. No joke, I did. It is the every day experiences you have, along your quest for power, fame, money or glory, take some time to pause and see the happiness brought about by simple things. If a simple donut box could make me think like this and afterwards make me smile so widely, how much more other common objects anywhere. A simple text message from a friend, a hug from a family member, the first rain drop hitting on your nose, the smile you get after helping an old lady carry her groceries, the smile I get after you read my article. Simple Things.

I don’t know if I’m right. But I presumed if one man is already at the top of his success and have acquired everything he’s breaking his bones for, I guess there’s nothing for him to do than to sit down and think of the other miscellaneous and ordinary things along the way. I always have the habit to ask my parents what gift I should give them on their birthday, the same reply I always get. “We don’t want anything, just be good, that’s enough.” Simply being good isn’t simple at all isn’t it? Seriously, it melts my heart every time I see mothers teary eyed after receiving a scribbled and all crushed up card from their children. The greatest people here on earth took delight in simple things. The best example is Jesus Christ, he loved the unaware and innocent little children, he loved them to sit in his lap and listen to his parables. As you walk along a beautiful garden don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. Smelling the roses would be something simple, but it’s the roses that make the garden beautiful. Same through with life, it’s with the simple events and realizations that made it a whole lot meaningful.

As I’m writing this article, I have a sprained foot. But before I intended to cry and wished I never had this, I thought about the man I met in Church a few months ago who was asking for alms but still smiling. He has no feet. I am more blessed than he is. As I would walk limply for a few days, I won’t make any major regrets for that man has all of his lonely life unable to walk. After I cried when I found out the donut box was empty my mother texted my father, who was out on a meeting, to buy another dozen just for me. When my father arrived, I took the donut box, opened it and shared the twelve donuts equally with my family. After munching on the sweet donuts, I couldn’t help but smile and laughed on my childish thoughts that morning.

There are many people more than what and who you are, but there are also a lot of people lesser and lower than you. Take delight in Simple things.

Enjoy your Donuts!

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