Lessons from the Bamboo

Plans are made. Then reality sets in.

No matter how much planning or anticipation one puts in, things are bound to get bumped by unforeseen circumstances. Weather. Heavy rains and floods, to be exact. Health. Other people. Lack of resources.

A wise person plans ahead. And an even wiser person makes plans AND is able to improvise as the need arises.

I remember when I was in high school, one of our school projects as freshman was to write a “Book of Myself”. Though a few of my classmates sneered at the idea (“tsismosa lang ‘yang teacher natin”), I embraced it. I loved writing about my loved ones, about the place I grew up in, about the friends I’ve left behind in the province, and… ahem, about myself.

Anyway, when my project was checked, the allegedly tsismosa teacher (whom, by the way, I loved and admired) wrote a short note on the first page. She wrote something positive (I forgot what it was). But what struck me the most was this piece of advice: Bend a little so you won’t snap.

My young heart did not get it. I had to ask my mom what she thought the teacher was trying to say. Now, as I grew up and have had my share of disappointments and failures in life, I know what she truly meant.

The mango tree is probably one of the sturdiest trees and largest trees I have ever seen. I remember my mom refusing my request to plant one in our garden when we moved to our own home. She said its roots burrow too deep and far into the ground and that it is able to demolish other plants, even concrete fences! But no matter how strong the tree may seem, when typhoons come, it can topple over, succumbing to very strong winds. Uprooted, it falls to the ground.

Not the lowly bamboo. It is thin, its stalk not as hard as the mango or narra. But when winds blow, the bamboo learns how to sway with the wind. It willingly bends and humbles itself through the storm. After the clouds have cleared, the bamboo emerges alive and victorious. Its resilience and pliability are the reasons why the bamboo is tough.

Many times, my ok-ok (read: obsessive-compulsive) self needs to keep this lesson in mind.