The Hardest Part

… is starting up.

Today I woke up with what seemed like the heaviest feeling: I did not want to get up from the comfort of my quilted sheets. I did not want to stand up and face harsh-blasting water from the shower. I did not want to move even for an inch away from the soft pillows and the blanket of morning cold that was enveloping me. I could stay all day this way, I mused. I could choose to be a bedbug and rely on the things within my reach to make me happy, to make me satisfied and still breathing. After all, who dies staying in bed, right?

It was a tough battle, between the bed and I. Suddenly, I found myself seduced by the scent of the fabric conditioner used mixed with the burning scented oil in my room, it was so homey I wanted to squeeze its aroma and put into a bottle. I wanted to create an altar for the three pillows that cradles me eight hours a day/night because it was then that I realized how lucky I was to have found the pillow of my life. I realized that finding the perfect pillow is like finding the perfect man in Manila: impossible.

I forgot to copy the link of this image :(

And so after what seemed like an eternity of battles between the cocoon of comfort that was my bed, I finally summoned enough energy to jumpstart my {already} late day. I got into the shower, sat through a wonderful breakfast of bacon and pancakes, brewed Colombian coffee and fruits. My brother announced he was cruising by my building at work for a study group, hence I had a free comfortable ride, too. I dressed up in the frilliest work-appropriate outfit I could, if only to take advantage of my one-day-only driver. I wore my highest heels, too!

I breezed through the day, handing out work output after another. My boss commented: “Are you sick? Are you having problems?” so I just smiled and continued being what apparently had been the most productive day I’ve had in the past six months.

And so I got into thinking: What could have I been doing if I stayed in bed all day? I could have been really hungry; I would have more deadlines to chase tomorrow, more work on my back and more wrinkles to slap on with anti-aging cream. Easily, I was going to be not one of the happiest people in the world and I am not agreeable when I’m like that.

Which brings me to a point: What are the things I could have done or could’ve enjoyed if I hadn’t been too chicken, or too lazy to ‘start’ things in my life? In an earlier post I wrote, I dissected the 26 things I need to do before I turn 26 years on this planet, some of these including little things like learning how to properly swim, how to speak Spanish, read the Bible, among others. Surely, it sounds like your average bucket list but giving it a deadline makes it all worth the squeeze. These things I could have done when I was younger but never got the will and the energy to start. Besides, then, it has always been easier to say no and just have laziness get the best of me.

So is starting up really the hardest part? Yes, it is. But it’s worth the battle. Because like most of life’s precious moments, every start marks the beginning of more wonderful days ahead and a life well lived.