There’s a place not too far from our home, an aesthetic café dedicated to bikers looking for a place to stop after a long ride.

Pugpog Biker’s Highlands Cafe

We discovered this place just around August of this year. Covid-19 was still at its peak and most places were still on a lockdown, although not as strict as last year. It was actually like an on-and-off situation for the lockdowns because the government just couldn’t decide whether or not it’s already safe for people to go out.

During this time, restaurants were again allowed to have customers dine in with limited capacity. Kids still weren’t allowed to go out.

I didn’t get the point of requiring face masks while you’re outside, only to be allowed to remove them once you sit down and start to eat. But I guess it’s better to be protected at least 90% of the time you’re outside than to be open to risk all the time.

The café/restaurant also features this “Prayer Wall.” There’s a small barbed wire fence where you can hang and lock your prayer, which you’ll write on a vintage-looking, small sheet of paper. I don’t know what it’s called exactly, but let me show you on the next photo.

I didn’t write my own prayers. I just looked at the random prayers that hang on the wires. Some were funny, some were serious, but it all boils down to praying/wishing/hoping for the best.

There’s one prayer that caught my attention. You can say it’s a generic, light prayer, but it’s something that I’m sure everyone is sincerely asking for during these times.

One of the prayers that hang on the wires says “Stay healthy, more income, no more stress.”

Since the pandemic hit, all I could ask for was to be away from any illness. Reading this prayer made me realize how much I take my health for granted. I keep wanting to achieve so many things and that I forget to value what I already have – A not really perfect, but healthy body.

I don’t know if it was luck, but during those two years, I don’t remember having a single flu. Lucky, I guess, but more “blessed” because I already have the privilege of working at home even before this all started, so I didn’t have to go outside everyday during the heat of the pandemic.

With the help of my wife (whose contributions were ten times bigger than mine, to be honest), we never had any problems with our income. We even managed to grow it. We had little stress compared to other people who were strongly affected by the pandemic.

I’m sharing this to let the world know that I am grateful for simply being around, thankful for being blessed during the past two years, and hopeful for things to keep getting better for us, and for you as well in the upcoming year.

I may not be in the position to tell you this, but if you’re one of those who struggled more than I did during the toughest times of the pandemic, know that you’re already too strong to give up at this point, surely much stronger than me. I wish you well, and pray that a better year comes your way soon.