Photo by Ash Fuentes
Maybe my whole life runs on “Filipino Time” because I am quite late to everything.
In ways that are literal and metaphorical, I am always late.
Sometimes I’ll be the first to arrive at a place, other times I won’t get into the shower until thirty minutes before the time I said I’d leave.
I miss out on jokes often and heavily rely on Urban Dictionary to let me know what slang “kids these days” are using.
I’ll find out about a song years after everybody else was loving it or keep pushing off listening to new releases from artists, even if I follow them on social media.
Don’t even get me started on social media or the trends and memes I’ll never understand on there.
Even though it took me a couple years to realize it, I think I’ve reached a point where every person in my life is someone that makes me truly happy. Good people are magnetic, but I didn’t notice right away. Better late than never, right?
In the loneliest, coldest periods of my life, they appeared as rays of sunlight in my frozen tundra. My surroundings were refreshed. Their warmth melted away my worries and uncovered the rabbit hole. I dived through, heart first, the tug on its strings being enough to make me fall into the welcoming, safe arms of my radiant friends.
I am eternally grateful to carry the honor of knowing all of my friends in this era of existence and can’t fathom how empty my life would be if different people filled their spaces.
Spending time with my friends always feels like a never ending series of daydreams. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that the good days are real and that they’re finally here. I love being with them, completing adventures in our sweet little Wonderland.
The bright colors I see around them put me at ease. Their inviting energies and Cheshire cat smiles distract me from the panicked feelings I’m always enduring. With them by my side, time evaporates. I’m not being rushed for once. I take my time getting to know them.
My friend group is a mad, chaotic, intriguing blend of characters. They are critical pieces in my puzzle that help me better understand the full picture. I sense a bit of each of them within my soul. There’d be no me without them.
Even if we have our disagreements, or tickle each other’s nerves, they will remain deeply burrowed into the softest parts of my heart. I gently hold their images in my mind, careful not to smudge their shining faces.
I may be the white rabbit, but they were right on time.
Kindergarten 