About
a year ago, in celebration of Women’s Month 2017, the Gender and Development Focal
Point System (GADFPS) of the Insurance Commission sponsored an On-the-spot
Essay Writing Contest. Here is what I came up with.
WE MAKE CHANGE WORK FOR WOMEN
First, let me talk about Dra.
Tanada.
Dra. Tanada is a petite woman –
all of 5ft. and about 50kilos. But she’s considered a “heavyweight” in our
community.
Why? Because she has a lying-in
clinic right in our subdivision and everyone there who has had a family member
suffer from minor ailments or injuries – has gone to seek medical help from her
at one point or another. And a happy woman that she is, she attends to them
with the care and compassion that only a simple, contented woman can.
Asked why she opted to put up
her own small clinic in a little subdivision instead of affiliating with big
hospitals in the area, Dra. Tanada answered without batting an eyelash,
“Because much as I love my profession, I had small children when I was starting
out, and I didn’t want leaving them behind.”
So, kill two birds with one
stone she did – does. She puts her education to very good use, and at the same
time, she is able to take care of her family. Now her children are all grown up
and practicing professionals as well.
And because she does what she
does, many in our community feel blessed having her.
Then there’s Tita Mitzi.
When Tita Mitzi was about 10
years old, she and her siblings were forced by circumstances to live by
themselves in their little hut in the province. They learned to fend for
themselves – using calamansi instead of shampoo to clean their hair and scalp;
using charcoal to clean up their dishes; and eating whatever edible leaves and
fruits could be found in the vicinity.
Their hardship didn’t deter
Tita Mitzi. Rather, they spurred her to dream big and act big for her family.
She struggled to get education even if it meant walking kilometers to get to
and from school in her elementary and secondary years; even if it meant being
away from her family and supporting herself through college.
But they all paid off. Tita
Mitzi became an accountant and landed a job at a prestigious government office.
Last year, she retired from her work after more than 30 years in service, and
moreover, after having sent her younger siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces,
to school and university. As a reward for herself? She toured Europe and other
Western countries, and stayed a month in an Asian country where her niece – one
of the recipients of her kindness and generosity – lives.
There’s also my Mom and her
senior friends in our community. Their ages range from 60 – 90, but still, they
are considered the backbones of our parish. They are the ones who prepare the
altar for Holy Mass, they assist in the giving of Sacraments, they catechize
the children, attend to the poor, organize processions and other events, and do
other stuff that keep the people’s faith in their toes.
They get tired, yes. They get
sick, yes. But they are happy as they do these things.
Dra. Tanada. Tita Mitzi. My mom
and her senior friends. What is it about these women that make them “happy” and
“successful” in what they do?
It’s probably because these
women discovered that to be happy meant
embracing their changing situation in life—and just keeping on giving it
their best as one goes. Moreover, it
also means finding their self-worth, being capable of being contributing
members of society, while all the time not forgetting where their hearts are
anchored.
In recent history, women are
exposed to unprecedented opportunities in terms of career, travel, lifestyle,
and other life choices. Globalization, digital evolution and the insurgence of
social media are tools women have at their fingertips, enabling them to seem
bigger than they are.
It is up to them to make their
choices – to use all, some, or none of those tools – as they embark on their
journey of finding their self-worth.
At
the end of the day, what is significant is to remember that, like Dra. Tanada
who killed two birds with one stone, like Tita Mitzi who shared her success
with her family and relatives, like my Mom and her senior friends who continue
to contribute despite aging limbs and body pains—the strength of a woman is in her heart. A heart that loves no matter
what changes—call it challenges, call it opportunities or what-not—the fates may bring.
