Sentidokomon

By Johanna Bogbog

Tinig Pinoy Column-writer

     The title of my topic came all the way from a guy in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He said this when his sweetheart, who is working here in Cyprus, started to whine over  things like being away from him and from her family in the Philippines, being too tired from work and other normal problems that everyday life brings. She related this to me when I also shared with her my lamentations over a lot of things. Whatever this Boston guy was thinking when he uttered it to her, it only tipped a clear message which poetically she also shared with me: “Patience practically would pay off to those who uses it long enough to see the beauty of the rainbow after the tormenting storm�. Somehow, this golden adage lifted up the gloom that keeps on hanging over my head.
     Most of us normally complain about a lot of things; about work, about people, about employers, about fate, and almost about everything. But if we look at these things with a clear positive mind, we will find out that some of them are so trivial but which we had given them too much weight and unnecessarily creased and tormented our foreheads with worry and anger. Some of the problems we have are from our own doings. We neglect to do important things, we fail to keep appointments, we refuse to acknowledge our mistakes, we tell lies and make up damaging stories, we are so sensitive, and we always put the blame on other people and worst, on our fate. But let us accept that there are also incidental problems. Problems that are pushed upon our knees.
     In this issue, let me stress on the topic about work. Recently, a lot of the girls I knew have left their original and subsequent employers after just a few months or days of working with them. They did not last even for a year or so. In my assessment, the lack of patience or as described by Mr. Webster, “intolerance of anything that thwarts, delays, or hindersâ€? can be pointed out as the cause of this impulsive decision. OFWs can be into some bad working situations but deciding to leave or quit that soon without even trying their patience to resolve the issues can only make the situation even more worst to justify. Work is work and there is no easy way of living life. We have to work hard for everything we like to have or to achieve in life. Our employers are likewise working hard to have money and they won’t just give that money for free. We have to also work hard for it. Some employers are giving cash bonuses or cash gifts to their workers but those bonuses are not free. They were earned either with extra time or with goodwill, by being a good and honest worker. I also personally experienced having terror employers but I patiently waited for the right time to make a move and true to the above title, my patience had brought me good things. Now, doing my work as good as I can, I am also being compensated very good. This is the essence of goodness. So folks, remember that patience is a virtue. Make good use of it.

 February Girl: Johanna with well-wishers friends.