Life: Never Take Things For Granted

Yesterday, I went out for a job interview. Don't ask me how it went 'cause I'm not really sure as I still have to wait for the results. I just want to share with you a realization that I got after I was interviewed. So I came in with all my bullets prepared. I stayed up several nights just to search for commonly asked questions and tried to answer it on my own (even when I was alone in my room). There were a number of times where I felt like I was going crazy because I have always been the type of person to overthink. But enough about my preparations. What I really wanted to talk about was a question that I didn't get to answer as good as I wanted to.

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The question went something like 'If you would be given the chance to speak in front of an audience, give an inspiring talk to move them with experiences that you've accomplished in your life, what would you say to them?'. My first thought was, 'Did I just get transported to a beauty contest?' because it sounded like a good beauty contest question to me. So I started racking my brains out. I tried to reminisce and pinpoint a specific event in my life that could be inspiring and at the same time be able to display that I have indeed achieved something. I tried to but I couldn't. I used to work as a nurse so I just responded by saying I would like to share about my experiences while working as a nurse where I got to touch other people's lives and help them recover from critical illnesses (I used to be assigned in the ICU). I knew it wasn't a totally mind blowing response but I also thought it wasn't a completely insignificant one. But truth be told, I don't think the interviewer was pleased with what I said. He kept on asking me, pushing me to tell more about myself and my experiences. He wanted me to tell a specific incident or a special event that I got to do that made me into the person that I am today. I wanted to respond to the question so bad but really, I had nothing extraordinary to say so I just said I didn't do anything special. I know I shouldn't have but I still did. I had no choice because I really didn't do anything special in my life. Period. Now this is the part where I talk about my realizations after not getting to answer the question to the interviewer's liking. The truth is, I've lived quite a happy life. I don't come from a prestigious family. I'm not a CEO's daughter or part of the society's elite but I came from a simple middle class family consisting of 5 members: my dad, my mom, my older brother, my younger sister and me. And yes, we're not rich but we're not poor either. My parents have been so supportive of each one of us. We've been raised in a good environment and went to good schools. We were never really hindered from doing anything unless it posed danger to our lives. For our parents, it has always been our welfare that mattered most. And just like this, I went on with my life. I went to school, became a part of the cream (of the crop) section, went to a good exclusive college where I graduated and ranked 15th in the whole batch and I got my professional license after passing the board exam on my first try. I did all these without having to work part time, I never worried about how I would get by. Basically, I was provided with everything that I could ever need. The closest thing I have to a tearjerker moment were heartaches cause by a first love that didn't work out or the second one that ended on a bad note. I have no Maalaala Mo Kaya (Would You Remember) moments. (MMK is a Filipino show that reenacts true to life inspiring stories.) Thus, I wasn't able to give out a good enough answer yesterday. Today, however, I got to do some thinking and I realized how thankful I should be because I don't have 'that' story to help me get the job. I mean, it would have been better if I got to provide a better answer. God knows how much I wanted the job and how much I wanted to have a story to share. But I didn't want to make a story up. I have always believed in honesty and at that time, that was the best answer for me. Yes, I don't have 'the' story. So what? That doesn't make me any less of a person. I didn't get to experience such hardships but that didn't mean I wasted my life partying and not caring. I still worked hard to become who I am today. I walked through life with the virtues my parents taught me. I worked hard, went to school, previously worked for a good company while being my same old self. For me, that's a gift. It's a gift that I should be thankful for. I'm not saying I have no regrets during the interview because I do. I wish I said these things: Yes, I am a person that has not experienced life's privations. But that doesn't mean I don't work hard to stay where I am. My parents sent me to good schools- I studied hard. I got to work in a big company- I worked extra hard. I have always been the type of person that doesn't take things for granted. And although cliche, it's what helped me in becoming the person that I am today.