Copiers and Paper Jams

A photocopier is a machine that produces clear, black and white copies of images (though time has evolved it into something that can do other things.) It is simple to operate, fast and easy to deal with. 

Sometimes, I can't help but compare friendship (and the opposite) with these copying machines. 

The whole copying system is you and the people that surrounds you are the bond of papers being loaded into the bin. The master copy are the personalities and attitude that you are looking for a friend, or anything you have in common perhaps.

Whenever you meet someone new, you load a paper, click the print button and you get a copy. Clearly, like a copy, your friends show you a part of them. The process it takes from clicking the print button to producing an image is the same with the troubles and undertakings you and your friends have to go through in order to create a perfect image of fun and good times.

It looks good in the outside, but little did people know that you had to endure changes and undertakings so you can build this kind of bond. As long as everything is going on smoothly, you can produce more copies, more friends.

So what happens to these papers? Most of the time, they are saved for important matters. They serve as files and proofs of memories and good times. They are constant reminders, that whatever happens, you have something valuable.

However, without you knowing it, you meet the wrong kind of people in your lifetime. They appear to be neat and clean just like the rest. There are times when they even look better, whiter and more sincere, so you insert them in your copy bin without a second thought. You click OK and start printing. And that is when the true nature of these people surface.

The one you thought that's neat and clean actually has crumpled edges not suitable for your machine, either it's a factory defect or is made by outside forces. Nevertheless, it caused a paper jam.

When the paper jam occurs, the once smooth system starts to halt and create an unfamiliar sound of warning. Then from their comes problems. At first you may be in denial and think that the machine is just adjusting, doing its thing to survive the interruption. But later, you accept the reality that something unwanted just occurred- a paper jam, a system failure. 

At this moment, you formulate ways on how to go about it. First, you stop printing and then examine the machine. You open the drawers and look where the issue come from. 

Sooner or later, you see a piece of paper- stained and crumpled, inside the machine. The same paper you once thought is clean, neat and suits your needs. However, it's there- stocked!

So what do you do next? For you to make your machine work smoothly and easily again, you have to do the right thing- take it out from the system, and be sure to take them all - completely. Don't let it stay there longer because no matter what, it's a nuisance and it does not serve its purpose anymore. 

So where does this crumpled paper go? Simply said, it is directly thrown into the trash bin.

Only at this point when you can resume with the tasks at hand. Forget about the crumpled ones and focus your attention to those that creates clear, vivid images that you always wanted.

Life and the people that surround us can be like this, too. Not all of them have to be included in our circle. There are a few we can trust and handle, but along the way, we have to "dump" some in the trash bin. Not only because they are "trashes" but also for us to preserve our smooth sailing system. 

As for me, although I bump into some paper-jam-causing creatures at times, I  am glad to say that I have learned the habit of examining what I exactly needed before putting them into my machine. Honestly, I learned this the hard way, but who cares!? As long as after the halt, I resumed my smooth- sailing way.

Closing Time (Almost)

It's almost closing time!

And just like that, another year is about to close. It's as if the memories of last new year's eve celebration seem so vivid. I can still remember how I wrote down the things that I wanted to accomplish this year. And  like a bullet shot in the air, this year is almost over, gone and in some sort, is already a part of the past.

It's a worldwide celebration! A time for joy, fun, and gatherings. For many, it's the best time to turn over a new leaf. For some, it's just another year- life goes on, just like before. For others, sad as it may seem, but they might not see the changing of the  year, the new calendar year, the midnight celebration- it's closing time.

Though we don't really know who's in or out, and you belong to the lucky few who will see the next year, you have all the reason to celebrate and be thankful. 

But come to think of it, do we always have to see the ending, the curtain fall,  the closing, the setting sun peeping in the window, before we realize things and give thanks? 

Many of us, projects life like it's our right to have so. Living is an innate gift that everyone must enjoy. But in reality, not everyone in the world enjoys the same kind of life that you are having right now.

All over the world, men, women, kids struggle to live- emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally. Millions have to fight in order to prolong their existence. Just imagine the day-to-day struggle of war refugees, the victims of abuse, those who work in dangerous areas, the people in the slums, the beggars, the less fortunate, the unwanted children, the men and women trapped in war zones. They all have the right to live, yes! But they live not in a rightful manner.

Just by merely realizing that you don't belong to this group of people, you should be thankful. You have food on the table, you can eat, play and have fun anytime you want, you have your loved ones with you, you breathe clean air, you can see the beauty of life, you get to choose what to wear, you have a bed to end the night with, you are so far better than millions who did not make it today. You don't have to reach the closing time before being grateful for the days that you have. 

Don't let the sound of the falling curtain, the warning alarm, the ringing buzzer wake you up from your daydream.

Make the conscious effort of enumerating the things you are grateful for every single day and don't wait for the year's end before giving thanks and showing love to those who deserves it.

After all, it differs from one person to another. Who knows, yours is just around the corner, waiting for the right moment to be tagged as 'closing time'.