Almost everyone is familiar with the quote, “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop” [1855 H.G. Bohn, Hand-Book of Proverbs, p. 311].

Not wanting to be the playground of the devil while waiting for  B to come home from part-time work I surfed some videos to pass the time and found this one. I know watching this clip may not be productive, but one of my favorite authors also said, “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter” [e e cummings, unsourced].

So I urge you to watch and laugh, but not too much of either...

Imagine a life without the usual comforts - a soft bed or pillow to lie down on, no electricity or even light means no television or radio or  iPod, no phones ringing or text messages in being received, no hot meals or running water in a faucet, washing clothes by hand and trying to dry it in a dark damp place, pooping in a bucket and no toilet paper to wipe your ass, no deodorants or towels or shavers. That would really ruin one’s day. But then imagine being that way for 69 days. That would really put one in a foul foul foul mood. Now imagine spending 69 days in a dark hole with 33 other people mostly strangers to you and when disagreements or fights or nerves are all wound tight there is no where to go but stay and work out your issues together...after all where can you go if you’re trapped 700 meters underground?

Approximately 12 AM this morning, the first trapped Chilean miner (out of the 33) came above ground. And as of writing twenty-two has emerged already. I’ve watched this news since it first broke in CTV, CNN and CBC on August 5, 2010. Until the rescuers first made contact when they received a note from the trapped miners. Then the depressing news that it would take them until Christmas before they are rescued. The aid coming from diverse areas that offer consult as well as actual work to make their recovery faster. Until the unveiling of the capsule that will shuttle each miner. Until the reluctance of the thirty-three miner to go first. Until today where every miner comes out the small hole into the bright sunlight. I’ve seen the images of the miners stripped, unshaven, bleary. As well as their jubilant faces and the burning fire of hope in their eyes. These men and the countless people behind their rescue has kept me in awe with joy.

I sit here writing while images on the television live from Chile show the happy and emotional faces of the every miner that comes out of the rescue capsule. But what captivated me to this news was not only the outcome but...

1. how people came together to pool resources, knowledge and even courage to rescue them;

2. how the miners displayed discipline (rationing an emergency food supply for two days to last 17 days until contact), tenacity (listening to drills approaching for days before they were’ first contacted and preparing pre-written notes for the rescuers) and solidarity (recognizing a hierarchical structure to preserve order and routine within their group);

3. how different countries stepped in to help with the rescue efforts including psychiatrists, engineers, experienced miners, doctors to help ensure that the physical and mental well being of the trapped miners are kept intact for the long process they have to go through before being rescued.

As I continued to watch the news and type, I am humbled at how these thirty-three people have shown both the goodness and greed of mankind. They wouldn’t have to stay for so long in that mine if the owners only recognize the safety standards set by the mining industry in their country. There are changes to be made, correction plans to be carried out, and expensive lawsuits that will and/or has come out of this mining accident.

But personally, there is a valuable lesson for me to learn here as well... At times I get so worked up by what I do not have and whine about how miserable my life is being far from  B. Many days I cry and have become depressed because it’s taking us so long to be together. I bitch and rant about the people I have to deal with every day at work. I get so dissatisfied with what I am earning in Canada when I had it easier in the Philippines. I get consumed by jealousy, anger, apathy, and negativity. Worst of all I share my conceived misery to everybody especially to  B. I am, despite knowing better not to, living the old cliché, “Misery loves company”.

I suppose that is the silver lining for any disaster or calamity, the ability to see the flaws and make the necessary correction. If these guys were able to keep hope and faith then so can I. I know that life is full of adversities and it doesn’t owe us anything to give us what we always expect. I am pretty sure that they weren’t always feeling dandy during their 69 days of unwanted confinement, but they focused on their personal goals and that fueled their passion to do everything they can in order to attain it. It may not be as black and white for me. Living can be filled by so many distractions but not losing sight of my own personal goals as well as my goals with  B can be my source of joy and hope in my tempestuous moods and emotions. And when the going gets really tough, God as my anchor will keep me sane.

As I end my post, twenty-six miners have been rescued so far. The whole world is watching in anticipation and prayer until the very last miner comes up safely. To those thirty-three miners, their family and friends who kept vigil, the Chilean nation that kept vigil and hoped, and the unnamed people who took a seemingly impossible task and made a fervent prayer become real -

¡GRACIAS!

¡Al único Dios, nuestro Salvador, que puede guardarlos para que no caigan, y establecerlos sin tacha y con gran alegría ante su gloriosa presencia, sea la gloria, la majestad, el dominio y la autoridad, por medio de Jesucristo nuestro Señor, antes de todos los siglos, ahora y para siempre! Amén. 

~ Judas 1:24-25

Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving today. The concept of Thanksgiving is not new to me. I understand that it’s a harvest festival and traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. While why people eat turkey on this day is something I don’t understand, I get the “being thankful” part.

There is no Thanksgiving festival in the Philippines. There are a lot of patron saints being given feasts and majority of holidays there are Christian-based, yet when our forefathers were deciding what holidays to celebrate they probably got so busy with the hubbub of which should be paid double and which are time and a half that they forgot to set a date to be thankful. Therefore, no Thanksgiving Day.

But on the flip side, a country tormented by the Spaniards, colonized by Americans, terrorized by Japanese, dictated on by a fellow Filipino and his cronies, graft and corruption of different forms and from different levels of society, the degrading situation of our educational system, the poverty and lack of employment it’s hard to look at the bright side and be thankful. My twisted mind can see it now...if the Philippines do celebrate Thanksgiving Day, majority of the population would probably be on the floor in a fit of laughter and hysteria over the irony of life. Yep, we don’t do Thanksgiving but we do laugh at the adversities of life.

It is a difficult thing to feel, being thankful when life is burdensome. When you think you are working for people who do not recognize your efforts, it is not easy to be thankful. When you are separated from your family, the distance makes you more lonely than grateful. When you want to be with someone but the situation you are in does not permit it, being hopeless is easier to fill you than gratitude. When you want a better life but you are limited to make the most with what you have, being discontented sucks up all the joy.

As I reflect on Thanksgiving and how challenging it can be for me, my father’s voice echoes in my head, “Give thanks, basang...” I know behind those words he is quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I smirk remembering this, because as much as he is my father he doesn’t know that to battle my moods, feelings and emotions and be absolute thankful is something close to a miracle and is indeed something to be thankful of.

I want to tell him now, despite the darkness enveloping me the past few months, I am thankful for having him in my life and instilling Christian values, I am grateful for my momi who despite the challenges she faced conceiving me and raising me she kept me alive and strove to provide us the necessities of life, I am grateful for my oldest sister who has always been around to be a pillar of strength and source of funny gossip, I am thankful for my brother because even if we have few good times together those few times were filled with his laughter, I am thankful for my youngest sister because she has always let me be me - flaws and all. I am thankful for my boyfriend who loves me unconditionally and faithfully. I am thankful for the chance to experience Canada even though it is limited. I am thankful for my health and limited wealth. Thankful for friends who’ve stayed around and left. I am thankful for my life no matter how lonely, I know it’s not always going to be the case.