looking out and beyond

kohei-kun, a 7-year old and still not losing the wonders (shiozawa, april 23, 2005)

it was a long travel. but did i mind? if one looks out and beyond, as if waiting for something to see, or for someone to pop up, or wonder if in the forest there are insects now when snow is melting, the travel won't seem to be long. in fact, no one minds even if it takes eternity to journey on the way back home. just don't lose the wonders.

this is a lesson learned from this 7-year old boy who never tires thinking out loud, in japanese at that.

sooner than later, i will be packing up my bag, and fly home. yes two years was a long journey. but when i learned to wonder, no, i didn't mind the long travel. as i journey my way back home, i will never lose the wonders.

the academic demands of iuj seemed to be insurmountable; however, i was unfazed. the piece of paper conferred as a degree is no feat for me. sad to say it is only a piece of paper. the process of looking out and beyond was more important to me as i believe the journey is too short if i wonder more; too long if i begged off under pressures. learning, and enjoying in the process, is my priority. passing, and accomplishing in the process, is only the tip of the iceberg. iuj was too much concerned of passing, more than learning; of quantity, more than quality. if i was fazed, i would have died from heart attack, what then?

just like kohei-kun, who didn't mind the long travel, i would look out, look beyond and ask: do you have beetles in the philippines as big as in brazil's? (i don't even know there are beetles in brazil.) how did the insects go to the mountains? then suddenly i would change the topics to gundam and sports cars. that was exactly what i did in my 2-year iuj life. i didn't mind the demands, i just went out, look out, look beyond and enjoyed. and things just fell into place.

five years from now, i wouldn't remember the OLS regression, but i would remember the insects in the mountains, the beetles, and yes, gundam and sports cars.

(i would like to believe that Jesus, in His 33-year journey on earth, did just like that: look out and look beyond. He was unfazed of the legalism of the pharisees; instead, He enjoyed the company of the lepros, ate with the outcasts, took time to draw a circle on the sand, and came out glorious.)