I’m one of those who believe in what’s possible. Sharing a life experience is impressive, especially if it inspires other people.
“I don’t try to show how intelligent or cultivated I am; I just try to share my soul. Sharing is part of life.” – Paulo Coelho
My Life Story – Everything Is Possible
by Enncravebay (rich97150@gmail.com)
My story began when I was selling bread (“pandesal” in the local dialect) starting at dawn every day until the bread box was empty. I was seven and had just started as an elementary grade one pupil. What inspired me to sell bread was my desire to acquire brand-new pad papers and pencils we use in the classroom.
I woke up early at 5 in the morning and, along with some kids, trooped to the bakery store to purchase a carton of bread at a wholesale price. I sold it for a little more than the cost to have a price margin for my school supplies. That was the only way to achieve what I wanted without asking too much from my parents.
My parents needed help with how to send us all to school. We were a family of five children who greatly desired to pursue our education. There were several options then, one of which was to mortgage a piece of land. Our eldest brother was already a college student in the city. The remaining four of us had to figure out how to continue our high school and college education.
Our parents had a small dried fish stall in the local market. But the income from selling fish was just enough for our daily sustenance. We decided to work either as house helpers or as school-working students in return for free education. I was hired as a house helper by a teacher in the school I studied in my first year of high school.
My daily routine was to wake up early morning and proceed to the house where the teacher was residing, and there I prepared his breakfast and performed other kitchen tasks. I also did laundry once a week. I was 13 years old, learning to cook and doing household chores for other people. I missed my childhood fun and games in this episode of my life.
Some memorable events happened related to the teacher’s bed sheet. We have a shared rope outside the house to hang our laundry. Unfortunately, the string collapsed to the ground while I was in school. The problem was that the clothes of my neighbor were hanging there also. They were all soiled. When I arrived from school, it was hell for me when my neighbor, a beautiful lady classmate, became crazy, shouted and boxed me, and almost struck me with an object. I absorbed the punishment, and all I did to appease her was to say sorry.
The following year was my second year of high school. I joined my other siblings in another school. My two elder sisters and a brother were already working students there. I was accepted and began working in the school for free tuition. In three years as a working student, I cleaned all the classrooms and restrooms except the piano room assigned to women.
On Saturdays, I used to remove the weeds in the school quadrangle; picked up a cartload of sand 3 kilometers from the school using only a wooden pushcart with a fellow working student. When we arrived at school, we immediately started preparing a mixture of sand, cement, and water to make hollow concrete blocks used in the school fence. Thank God I survived these strenuous physical activities.
Those years, when I was a tiny seven-year-old who started selling bread in the streets and later as a working student at 13, 14, 15 & 16 years old, molded me into what I am today. My sacrifices were not in vain when I graduated at the top of the class as a Salutatorian in high school.
Due to my high school academic achievement, I became a four-year college course scholarship recipient. My other siblings also graduated from their chosen fields of study. The rest was history, and now I have a family of my own, blessed with eight kids, seven girls, and one boy.
I had pledged never to let my children experience the sacrifices I underwent in my younger days. We provided their education with my lovely wife and God’s blessings. I’m proud that our children graduated with their chosen college degrees.
– My story is shared with Marie Forleo for her forthcoming book, “Everything Is Figureoutable.” Listen to Marie Forleo at the SuperSoul Sessions | Oprah Winfrey Show.
Life's Chronicle 