The Silent Heroes of the Pandemic

Do you believe in Superman? Does he exist? Does he have supernatural power? Today's Superman is the one who doesn't wear a cape. They don't fight a big enemy. And they don't possess physical and mental strength at all times.

Today's Superman can be defeated by an invisible enemy. They could suffer from low stamina and endurance. They could not quickly heal themselves. And worst is, they could die.

When I worked at The Medical City Iloilo, I saw the different faces of Superman. The health care workers whose mission is to save lives. Nurses, Doctors, and other healthcare personnel have shown dedication to serving those who need healing, survival, and recovery.

Today's pandemic has revealed our healthcare workers' real value and worth. They are the silent Heroes who have saved thousands and even millions of lives from Covid-19. They have made a big sacrifice to extend the lives of the sick and the dying. 

But the stories we watch and hear about our silent Heroes may not be good. In some countries, we see them almost giving up, not because they are overfatigued or suffering from burnout and depression, but due to lack of support from the Government.

In the Philippines, we see the effect of the Government's negligence regarding our healthcare workers' welfare, especially the nurses who are already losing hope and morale. They are the modern-day Superman, yet they cannot even protect themselves the way they protect and care for their patients. They extend people's lives, yet they die inside from frustrations and disappointments. They are Superman, yet sometimes they couldn't rise up but fall.

I'm a nurse and will always support the call for the proper treatment and support for my fellow nurses and others in the healthcare profession. We don't need recognition, but all we need from the Government is to be just and uplift the welfare to stand still and better fight these challenging times of health crisis.

We are Superman, but we are also human. We get tired and burnout. We can be hopeless and depressed. And we are not limitless, but we can also suffer from powerlessness. 

When this pandemic ends, our best salute goes to the silent Heroes who continue to serve the health and well-being of the people. Give your best gratitude and appreciation to them. That's the greatest gift that can open their hearts. Because it's when we have an open and big heart that we give and love more.

©️ 2021 Del Cusay

Life's Toughest Fight

When asked about your life's toughest fight, what would it be?

Is it about your fiercest opponent? Is it your unexpected defeat? Or your victorious winning?

When we're punched hard by struggles, it's easy to be defeated. It gets harder to rise up and give our best counter punch. Life's even harder to get up when we're knocked out. We lose and do not even shout out. That's the reality of life; we learn not just from our most remarkable winning but also from our worst defeats.

However, at times our toughest fight comes inherent; from within. It could be the most challenging to be defeated. It's the internal conflict. It's about our lower emotions that fight us inwardly.

Our tendencies for resentment, grudge, and rage are our worst enemies and often the hardest to fight. It could be our most challenging battle. We win some, or we lose some.

But what if our worst enemy is just ourselves. We couldn't escape our worst tendencies, conflicting personalities, and lower emotions. After all, it may be just us. How could we escape? How could we cope? How could we win the battle, our internal fight and greatest struggle.

We may lose some fights, but the toughest fight gives us the courage to keep fighting and moving, even when we're struggling and not even close to winning.

In the end, all our emotions are valid. It may not be all good, but recognizing the bad and the worst contributes to realizing our true essence of living. And we continue to live and hope for a triumphant winning.

©️ 2021 Del Cusay

Journey from Alpha to Lambda

Would you rather be an Alpha, Beta, Delta, or Gamma?

We've come this far. From the unexpected painful beginning in early 2020 until the second half of 2021. This is not the joyous journey we've imagined. This is different from the future we've envisioned.

Back at the year-end of 2019 and the welcome of 2020, that was all fun. Who would have thought we'll all suffer a sad fate of uncertain life and future. 

Yes, we've come this far, but we wanted a different journey. It's been almost two years of struggles and miseries. Like a roller coaster ride, we experience ups and downs. Like a dead-end road, we have no choice but a detour or U-turn. And like a crossroad, we're only sometimes heading straight ahead. We may occasionally be turning right, and we could be riding in the wrong direction.

Yes, we may have aspired to be an Alpha or Delta personality type. But given the title associated with a deadly unseen enemy, we may just want to be a Nada. To have nothing to worry about. To have nothing to suffer. To have no fear and no painful ending, but only meaningful suffering turned into a blessing.

©️ 2021 Del Cusay

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👉 The Journey Continues: From Lambda to Omicron

Making Golden Dreams come True

Dreams do come true. When we least expect it, life surprises us with a reward for our sacrifices, perseverance, hope, and Faith.

When Hidilyn Diaz won a gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she greatly surprised the Filipino people. When we usually hear about the nation's not-so-good state, Hidilyn Diaz raised the bar to give us the honor of bringing the first-ever Olympic gold medal for the Philippines.

Her dedication, fighting spirit, and willpower made us all proud that Filipinos can achieve great things. We can make things happen if we believe in ourselves and have Faith. 

Hidilyn Diaz did not quit. She waited over a decade to achieve her dreams for herself and the country. She may have experienced her worst setbacks and down moments but took it as a challenge to keep fighting until the end.

Hidilyn Diaz ended the longest waiting time for the Philippines to get that gold medal. It's not just ordinary gold but a symbol of our greatness. It symbolizes the most profound love for the country and reverence for the Filipino people. 

Hidilyn Diaz is an inspiration to the Filipino people. We may not be fully supported from the start and may have been ridiculed for our deepest desires, but nothing could stop us from achieving our golden dreams. 

So in this time of the pandemic, we may stop momentarily, but we keep the fire burnin' and make that dreams happen. It may not be our moment for now, but with perseverance and willpower, we can win until it's our time and until we can make that golden dream happen.

©️ 2021 Del Cusay