I was wrong to think someone was playing a prank. I guess when you have victimized too many, you would expect something will back fire at some point.
When no one came laughing from behind, my expectations died down. The driver motioned for me to get in as he slid the overly greased door of the van. My friend couldn’t make it so he asked a driver friend of his to pick me instead. I have no qualms, except that I thought the van I was in was more like a relic than a vehicle—reason why I thought the entire thing was a prank. I can tell it’s a make created long before Pepe Smith became legendary. It’s the sort that had loose screws all over. I could predict an accident.
Surprisingly, 10 minutes on the road and everything was still smooth and tight. Drivers should know what tight means. I realized I was wrong to judge that van. Yes it was falling apart on the outside, but it was screw-tight inside. By saying inside I’m referring to its engine. The scarcity of resources for repair drove its owner to make a choice between investing on the glam of the outside or the integrity of the inside. Obviously, he made the right choice.
20 minutes in that van was a life time worth of lesson for me.
The crucibles of life will wear and tear us down. In this fallen world, we will be scarred, pained, and wounded. Time will chip away our youth. Yet if we heavily invest on the inside, we are able to soldier on.
Outside adornment cannot guarantee anything, yet at times we think it’s our everything. True value lies on the imperishable, in our inner being. Make sure you are tightened inside.
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