Sun.Star Davao

Never leave the keys

- By Karina V. Cañedo

Being stranded hoping that someone will come for you is not easy, you have a tendency to stay because you have trust. But my Sunday experience taught me that sometimes taking time to verify assumed thoughts can be liberating.

It was raining outside and I found myself comforted by the presence of a good book in my hand and an expectatio­n in my heart that someone will come home and open the door for me.

It was Sunday evening, I stayed outside the comfort of my room only because I left my keys, my phone is dead and I was confident that my sister will come home because that is what she always did, unfortunat­ely this time she didn't.

By 12 midnight, I am supposed to be asleep or, I am supposed to be full because of a good hot meal of my creation, instead I camped outside my room with a large umbrella, and a newspaper I placed in the floor.

It was hard even until 3 a.m. when I already had a short moment of sleep in my makeshift bed, I still yearn for someone to come, and everything changed when I stopped that thought. I walked outside the 3 a.m. weather to find a charging station. I discovered that my sister texted me early that night to tell me that she won't be coming home. I found myself buying a hot drink, and I found myself gluing my glasses back, as I carelessly rolled over it when I was sleeping.

As I glued my glasses, I thought that no one will help me but myself. I have two choices ruin the door or continue my day with other alternativ­es. I bought something that might help me to open my door. And I tried other means but to no avail.

Hours passed, I do not know how I survived that nightmare. I was outside, I worked as if nothing happened, as If I just lacked sleep, and everything was just a dream.

I realized from that incident that the world gives us challenges to get us outside our comfort zones to realize that we have the very capacity to help ourselves. And some people are not around us because we can take care of ourselves.

As I go with my sister afternoon Monday, she scolded me for being so careless, that she told me not to forget my keys. I know she is right, I faced the consequenc­es didn't I? I have tried everything to allow myself to survive and for me it is not something to be ashamed of, or be disappoint­ed of.

The next time I will not wait for someone to open the doors for me. I will make sure I have the keys to open the door, always.

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