Haven’t gotten over it yet — that sad moment when you are told the best, and in fact the most humane, thing you can do for your pet is to allow it to be put to sleep… forever. Because if you don’t, it will die soon anyway. Knowing it will suffer a slow, painful death, you realize you’d rather have your pet die with dignity and without pain. It’s really just like being put to sleep, except that as it closes its eyes, its heart likewise ceases to beat.
You know it is the best for your pet. But it does not mean it is not a painful decision to make. It does not mean it won’t hurt you. Even if you know you have to do it, you will still second guess yourself. There will always be that feeling of guilt.
I feel for the young lady who had been put through that situation yesterday.
I know, I will go through that as well. When I cried with the young lady yesterday, it was because I felt and shared her pain — I think that is one thing pet lovers share — and also because I was given a glimpse of what I will go through in the future.
Who said loving pets is about deriving pleasure from them? You love pets because you just do — despite knowing that the day will come when you will have to say goodbye to each other, and all you will have left are the memories you shared together.
THE LUSH GREENS OF HOME. Abinganan, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya. Photo taken while aboard a moving vehicle. :-)
HEARTWARMING: Dotti and Angel taking turns grooming each other.
We Filipinos tend to ‘make tiis’ of bad situations. There is not enough food on the table? Magtiis. The bed is hard? Magtiis. The job is low paying? Magtiis. The rented room is too small and doesn’t have a comfort room? Magtiis. Better that, than nothing at all.
In bad times, being able to make do with little and put up with bad situations can be a positive trait. It enables us to withstand difficulties. It allows us to be resilient when we go through rough situations. But while being able to make do with what we have and with our difficult situations help us to survive harsh life and catastrophes, if taken to the extreme, it will also stop us from striving to make things better.
The way I see it, an adverbial particle — muna — must always go with the verb magtiis. With ‘muna,’ we are making a promise to our self that the unpleasant situation we are in is only temporary and that we will do what we can to get out of it. And soon. Until then, we have to learn to ‘make tiis.’ Magtiis while we don’t have resources to avail of something better. Magtiis until we get out of poverty. Isn’t there a Filipino saying: “Habang maiksi ang kumot, matutong mamamaluktot (While the blanket is short, learn to curl for you to fit in it)”?
Copyright Sherma E Benosa 2011
There are times when we throw away things by mistake. If that thing we trashed by mistake is so important, we don’t mind digging the trash bin to retrieve it, hoping that simply cleaning it can restore it to its original state.
There are also instances when we keep things that should have been trashed right away, only to realize much later — usually when they are already crowding our life —that the trash bin is where they belong.
There are also times when we keep broken objects with the plan to have them repaired. Except that sometimes, we don’t get around to repairing them. Or, we find that they are irreparable. Or that they aren’t really worth it.
As I bid 2011 adieu, I am checking my trash bin to be sure I had not thrown away an important thing by mistake. But more important, I am finally throwing away the things I have kept that I should have trashed long ago. Not only that. I am emptying my trash bin in order that those I trashed long ago can undergo the next step of the process — that is, to rot.
December , 31, 2011; 9:30pm
Having a pet depending on you and loving you unconditionally is a completely heartwarming and humbling experience. Even if you think you have all the human love you need in the world, you’d still be overwhelmed by the kind of love you can get from pets.
I will always celebrate October 31 (2010) as the year I was transformed — from someone who simply respected animals and believed in their humane treatment (but never one who would actually take on the responsibility of taking care of them) to a dedicated pet lover. And I will always thank my very first cat, Poinne (leftmost) for choosing me to be her foster mom. Had it not been for that fateful night I chanced upon her on a pile of garbage looking so vulnerable and badly in need of human care, I think I would never have known what — and how much — I was missing.
Thanks, Poinne. And thanks also to Dotti and Angel for the trust. And the love. Hope to spend long years with you all.
There are times we need to call for a timeout. But while life may be a game, its rules are different from those of the ordinary games we know. We cannot call for a timeout and expect life to stop. It goes on, even if we are severely injured, or too exhausted to play.
We pause at our own risk.
The good thing is that there are pauses worth taking. These pauses allow us to take a breather and evaluate where we are and decide where we want to go.
By all means, pause. Sometimes, it’s the only way to get back to life. (Just don’t pause too long, lest you’d find it very hard to get back in).
//Sherma E. Benosa
January 29, 2011 11:04pm Inspired by Darla Frantz
First posted at P[e]NORAMA (http://bilingualpen.com/brainteaser/?s=timeout) and on Facebook
Online media and computer games appeal to children and even young adults. Social networking and online games are among the top activities children enjoy. Banning children from playing online games is becoming out of the question. What children can’t do at home, they will do elsewhere — unsupervised.
Instead of considering technology as a bane, parents can use technology and turn computer games as one of their fun family activities. After all, family fun time should be centered on what the children enjoy, not what the parents think children should enjoy. Smart parents can use these fun times as educational in a way that doesn’t take the fun off. Parents can interject bits and pieces of advice on online ethics as they play computer games or interact with the virtual world.
Of course, it goes without saying that parents should be hands-on when it comes to children’s technology use. Parents should be aware of the dangers of technology such as addiction and online bullying, and must ensure that their children do not succumb to these dangers. Supervision and moderation are the key.
//Sherma E. Benosa, 15 March 2012
[Part of a draft on my modern parenting article.]
In the contexts of hardship, of abuse and tyranny, discontentment can become the father of reform. Isn’t discontent the precursor of many revolutions that changed the world for the better? Think of our Filipino ancestors who revolted against our abusive colonizers. Think of the women in the world who fought against repression. Think of the colored races who decried discrimination. Indeed, in the face of abusive situations, discontentment teaches us to say “Enough!”
I guess the key is this: in pursuing our dreams, in honing our potentials, we should not forget which are essential and which aren’t. Let us strive to become the best that we can be, while at the same time, learning to fight our excessive wants. Let us be content in what we have, in having simply ‘enough’ and even in not having everything we need. After all, it’s been said that happiness does not depend on having all the things that you want, but in appreciating the things that you have.
//Sherma E. Benosa
When a society stops marginalizing its minorities and moves towards truly empowering its vulnerable sectors, we know that something great is happening. But when the minorities themselves begin to unite and endeavor to strengthen themselves and to achieve sustainable development, we know that we are seeing the dawn of empowerment, of positive change about to take place.
Community socio-cultural development cannot be had without empowerment, and true empowerment comes not from the outside, but from within. It comes from that community’s collective recognition and realization that it plays a major role in chartering its development. Without internal collective willingness as a strong foundation, no outside help or support, not even with well-designed programs to boot, can bring to that community true empowerment and change.
[Discarded paragraphs from a piece on IP and Sustainable Development I was asked to write.]
“When art speaks, barriers — be they religious, linguistic or cultural — are easily transcended; and the message, however subtle, is readily translated to a language we all understand, and echoed at a pitch too difficult for us to simply ignore. And with the barriers effectively reduced, and the message staring us in the face, we then become more equipped to listen attentively and act accordingly.” —Sherma E. Benosa, 2006
“Focusing on the arts and getting deeply reacquainted with our culture can bring us the healing we sorely need. The arts can help us connect deep inside us, and remember and appreciate who we are as a people. Like a looking glass, the arts can help us understand what we are made of and realize that we have what it takes to effect the kind of changes we need to turn around our current situation.” —Sherma E. Benosa, 2009 
Disabled yet able. An armless girl paints with her foot during an art workshop sponsored by the NCCA KALAHI (Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan) cultural caregiving program with the country’s differently-abled. Photo by Willyan Maglente.
See entire post here.
A minimalist artwork of my five year-old nephw, Pau (Lucky Ryan, Jr), using bomomo.com. I introduced him to this site (and another one) during his Manila vacation from October 27-31, 2011. Pictured here is his first ever artwork at the site. I think this kid has an artsy eye, considering how most bomomo users (including myself) tend to fill every space in their artworks.
If you wanna see my bomomo practice creations 3 years ago, please click HERE.
