The Best Of Me As An Emergency Responder And My Kind Of Me Time (LOH 131)

April 27, 2023

- Oprah Winfrey

There are moments in my life that I wished I could just go back in time and just be a kid or teen, not an adult. Because seriously, adulthood is a freedom robber. Have you ever asked yourself when was the last time you pampered yourself and spend your ultimate "Me Time"? Me time, as in, not thinking about responsibilities, work stuff, and others in life, just thinking
about yourself alone in the moment. I did most of the time. And I'm wishing for real freedom again and again.

And time truly runs so fast and the next moment I realized that the month is almost over and I haven't done what I truly want to, lol. Just three more days to go before April ends. What was my goal again? It's a pain in the ass thinking about unaccomplished goals. I was just lucky enough to have a day vacay at an overseas place I yearned to visit before. But it wasn't my ultimate goal this spring season.

Moreover, being a breadwinner can truly be overwhelming, that is inevitable just like other homemakers. I wish I could just ignore the workload and go out in nature to release the stress. Unfortunately, only the weekend and holidays are my time to spend the best of my life. To have some me time.

My kind of me time

What truly is Me Time? to me? Mine is rather different from what other girls yearn to do in their me time. Most ladies probably want to pamper themselves in the salon or spa, bask on the beach, do ultimate shopping, and do whatever their hearts desire. I can have me time out in the woods, in the middle of the forest, on top of the mountain, or anywhere close to nature. Sounds weird but that's how I want to spend my me time.

And each time I reached the top of the mountain, I feel like I did the best in my life. I feel like I achieved an ultimate goal. So spending time out in nature is like doing the best in my life while being on my own. And that's my way of giving myself some time to also reflect on myself, to know myself better, contemplate things in life, and connect with my surroundings. I don't really need some fancy self-indulgence. Just being alone in nature is enough for me to unwind.

Sometimes I just want to stay at home and get something to do rather than procrastinating. I like hanging out in the kitchen and do food experimental. I would be glad to come up with something new using ordinary ingredients on hand.

And sometimes if I want to have a walk, I'll visit a pretty cafe nearby and enjoy a cup of latte which I seldom do, but coffee is my guilty pleasure, so why not? Just suffer the consequences later, lol. Who can resist the enticing aroma of coffee, anyway?

And ever since I spend more time blogging than to self-care, my eyes are often affected and become strained. I used to treat my eyes and wear an eye mask when I had some "me time" and when I feel like my eyes are too tired and dry. I adore the box of eye masks that the lady at home gave me. Her friend purchased this at Universal Studios Australia. She thought I needed them more, so she gave them to me instead of using them. Along with the adorable minion designs, I really like the banana scent in it.

I started taking care of my eyes and giving them more rest time from the screen. By far, with the help of my eye supplement, I'm seeing an improvement and there are no red strains anymore.

And part of my me time is to entertain myself with music, movie, art, and sometimes, Rubik's cubes. Can you tell what's the word I tried to form here? It's just 3x3 so I couldn't make the word perfect. But it is obvious for sure.

Making more out of my life

When we are on our own, we can make the best out of our life. Those simple accomplishments that make us happy always count.

Speaking of the best of me, I kind of missed the times when I could honestly say that I was living my life more worthwhile. We had a recent talk with this lady about doing something else with our lives aside from traveling. I asked her how I could participate in a charity run, join tree planting, or engage in other activities that could enrich my life. Something that could help other people, the environment, or perhaps just myself as a person. I would certainly join any once I learned how and where to join.

Graduating from college and being a breadwinner are definitely the best things I can be proud of. But back in the day when I was still a healthcare provider in our country, I made several things that made my life more valuable.

We rendered some of our time taking care of the elderly in a home for the aged. A place where I realized so many things about life. Where I saw poor elderly who once rendered their lives to raise their families but have long been abandoned after being incapable. How cruel the world is for them. They were useful when they were able, but eventually become useless when they can't be helpful anymore.

Checking their vital signs, cleaning their wounds, maintaining hygiene, and giving them food, were just some of the things we did as part of our job. Before living the home for the aged, we did a little program to entertain the elderly and give them some gifts to make them happier. Something that helped them feel like, they aren't abandoned at all.

My batchmates

As a health provider, I became part of the First Aid responder as well. We served as First Aiders in several sports activities, especially in school where we studied Caregiving. I was glad not to encounter big incidents, but we did respond to small ones such as applying first aid to small injuries, sprains, scrapes, wounds, and others. Those small acts are worth big for me.

(I guess you can tell where I am in the photo. Just check the one with a brown sling bag and pink shades on the head, lol)

The big event we rendered our service was during the visit of Pope Francis to our city, Tacloban, in 2015. I was one of those who attended the liturgy and served as a First Aider along with the Red Cross team to a few hundred thousand people. Amidst the heavy rain, the service continued the whole day, and we prayed not to encounter any bad situations while in the holy mass. But accidents do happen. Just right after the mass ended and the pope left the mass ground, a scaffolding fell and hit a church volunteer causing her death on the spot. It was the very first horrible accident I have ever seen as a responder which taught me to be braver for more worst incidents in the future.

Here's a look at the holly mass in Tacloban where I served as one of the responders

Photo source

Despite the death incident, it was such a one-in-a-lifetime experience seeing the Pope before my eyes. He chose Tacloban as one of the places to visit because it was where the super typhoon, Yolanda, caused havoc in 2013, and killed thousands of lives. But since it was stormy, our things were left in our barracks, and only medical kits and raincoats were allowed to bring. I wasn't able to take photos of him, and that was a big opportunity I missed. Nonetheless, I did a great experience in the liturgy. As the rain poured, our tears poured as well while listening to the homily of Pope Francis. It was such a spirit-lifter holy mass.

These are just some of those I can say that, I was at my best, doing things for others, not just for myself, and making a legacy that I'll leave in this world when the right time comes.

This is in participation to Ladies of Hive 131 Contest. If you are curious about the topic made by @nainaztengra, click the link above and share your own stories too.

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