u/alluringcoquette

I got so teary-eyed seeing my mom FaceTime me, genuinely so happy, just to show me their newly bought AC. She was so excited because, finally, they can sleep comfortably at night. And something as simple as an air conditioner suddenly hit me in a way I didn’t expect.

Because I remember where we came from.

Since I was around five years old, we lived in a tiny bahay kubo…no living room, just a small balcony and one room where our whole family slept together. We didn’t have a bed. We slept on banig (woven mat) with blankets and pillows. The house wasn’t made of concrete; it was mostly bamboo and coconut wood. And when the nipa roof started leaking, we’d cover the holes with plywood wrapped in cellophane just to keep the rain from coming in. I also remember helping my lola (grandma) and mom make brooms to sell just to make ends meet. I was so young, but I still remember using a tiny knife to scrape hundreds of green coconut leaves, one by one, just to turn them into brooms that we could sell. Looking back now, I realize how much work went into simply getting by. That was just normal life to me back then. I didn’t know any different. I didn’t realize how little we had because, as a kid, you just learn to make the best out of what you have.

But seeing my mom today, seeing how happy she is, proudly showing me their new AC, I had to hang up because I was wiping away tears like crazy. I didn’t want her to see me ugly crying. She was so happy, and I was just sitting there thinking about how far we’ve come! Because wow… we really came a long way. It’s crazy how something as simple as seeing your parents sleep comfortably can make you emotional when you remember the days when even having a proper bed felt like a luxury. This isn’t really about the AC. It’s about being able to give our parents the little comforts they once had to live without. It’s about looking back at where you started and realizing that the life you’re living now was once something you could only hope for. I think sometimes we’re so focused on what we *haven’t* achieved yet that we forget to appreciate how far we’ve already come.

From a little bahay kubo, sleeping on a woven mat, patching leaking nipa roofs with plywood and cellophane…
to my mom happily FaceTiming me just to show me their new AC.

I’m ugly crying so bad because… damn. We really made it this far. 😭😭😭

I got so teary-eyed seeing my mom FaceTime me, genuinely so happy, just to show me their newly bought AC. She was so excited because, finally, they can sleep comfortably at night. And something as simple as an air conditioner suddenly hit me in a way I didn’t expect.

Because I remember where we came from.

Since I was around five years old, we lived in a tiny bahay kubo…no living room, just a small balcony and one room where our whole family slept together. We didn’t have a bed. We slept on banig (woven mat) with blankets and pillows. The house wasn’t made of concrete; it was mostly bamboo and coconut wood. And when the nipa roof started leaking, we’d cover the holes with plywood wrapped in cellophane just to keep the rain from coming in. I also remember helping my lola and mom make brooms to sell just to make ends meet. I was so young, but I still remember using a tiny knife to scrape hundreds of green coconut leaves, one by one, just to turn them into brooms that we could sell. Looking back now, I realize how much work went into simply getting by. That was just normal life to me back then. I didn’t know any different. I didn’t realize how little we had because, as a kid, you just learn to make the best out of what you have.

But seeing my mom today, seeing how happy she is, proudly showing me their new AC, I had to hang up because I was wiping away tears like crazy. I didn’t want her to see me ugly crying. She was so happy, and I was just sitting there thinking about how far we’ve come! Because wow… we really came a long way. It’s crazy how something as simple as seeing your parents sleep comfortably can make you emotional when you remember the days when even having a proper bed felt like a luxury. This isn’t really about the AC. It’s about being able to give our parents the little comforts they once had to live without. It’s about looking back at where you started and realizing that the life you’re living now was once something you could only hope for. I think sometimes we’re so focused on what we haven’t achieved yet that we forget to appreciate how far we’ve already come.

From a little bahay kubo, sleeping on a woven mat, patching leaking nipa roofs with plywood and cellophane…
to my mom happily FaceTiming me just to show me their new AC.

I’m ugly crying so bad because… damn. We really made it this far. 😭😭😭

https://pin.it/54O09A8FK

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Tiktok @jeannechels
Pinterest @jeannechels