4 Stages of Life ~ Les quatre étapes de la vie

. . . Time Machine . . . [machine de temps]

Usually, there comes a time in one's life where we realized all our faults. You might have hurt someone, someone might have hurt you, you may have lost a loved one.. but all in all, we regret. Wouldn't you wish right now that you have a time machine?! I mean, how amazing would that be.. Pick a time and date and SHAM! your there!

. . . Quarter Life . . . La vie quarte . . .

When I was still in school, I always wondered what it would be like in the real world with real problems. As a student, my problems revolved around studying and earning a degree. Of course, there would always be those occasional friendship squabbles to spice up student-life.

Life then was so easy.

After graduation from college, reality was staring me right smack in the face. Gone were the laid back days of being a student. Gone were the days when the major problems I had were finishing my thesis and making up with a friend.

After college, I was on my own.. testing the waters of the world.

It was a big challenge. You can never be too sure of what is in store for you. You can never tell whether or not the future will be bright -- or whether you'll grope around in the dark.

I saw myself facing responsibilities. I saw myself facing uncertainties. For probably the first time in my life, my "no guts, no glory" disposition vanished into thin air.

It was a slow, agonizing climb, but I learned along the way.

I learned that the older you get, the less friends you'll have. You can never keep all the people you have made friends with while you were growing up. Eventually, you will drift apart and live your own lives. But what you have shared with them has taught you lessons you can take along on your journey.

I learned that no matter what stupid decisions you have made, your family will always welcome you with their loving arms. They will stand by you and let you take your steps on your own, letting you know they're just behind you in case you stumble and fall along the way.

I learned that the job you have right now may not be the job you wanted in the first place, but it could be the job that really makes you happy. Sometimes, we choose the job not for its monetary compensations but more for our own development as a complete individual.

I learned that falling in love does not always equal a happy-ever-after ending. Some may be lucky to live their fairy tales with prince charming ready to sweep them off their feet. Some may shed buckets of tears and get bruised to the bone and lose the love of their life.

I learned that getting hurt doesn't mean closing my door to love. It will always take time to heal and courage to open myself up to someone again. But the experience of falling in love is worth all the tears and the Band-Aids available at the pharmacy.

I learned about trust and betrayal. It is very hard to earn someone's trust and we can lose that trust with just one wrong move we make.

I learned about faith and hope. Sometimes, it is not enough to believe we can make it. We have to have faith to be able to make it through life. And every single day that comes is a breath of hope that today will be better and more meaningful.

I learned that life, with all its twists and turns, is a wonderful journey. Sometimes we are on top of the world. Sometimes we find ourselves lost in the woods.

But each step of the journey, we learn. We take along whatever lessons we get from our experiences. We take along the bonds we have built, the bridges we have crossed, and the mountains we have climbed. Each step of the journey, we become stronger, better and more fulfilled individuals.

I may have lived a quarter of my life already, but I know I still have a lot to learn. I still have to discover more about myself and the world I live in. I still have yet to reach my peak as a person.

It may be a long and tiresome journey, but life has taught me well.