Meditations in SM

Prompted by the need to buy a new pair of slippers, I went to SM North alone. There was no one to accompany me: either my dorm friends had exams, or had gone home already—maybe they were sleeping, or I just couldn’t find them. But I figured, I wanted to go alone anyway. There’s something to solitude in the midst of the noisy crowd of people that makes you think deeply.

And so I hailed an SM North jeepney, sat there for 15 minutes or so while listening to two nice ladies talk about how they had managed to trick their daddies into buying them things when they were little. Ah, the early signs of manipulation.

The last time I’ve been to SM—or to any mall, for that matter—was when my brother and I watched the Narnia last January. After that, my life revolved entirely on going to Church, to classes, to late night dinners at McDo Philcoa, sometimes to McDo Katipunan, and to the dorm. I’ve never really gone anywhere else—no, definitely not to SM, even if it’s just one jeepney ride away. Time wasn’t a luxury I could enjoy.

When I came in with the horde of people, it hit me: the sem is FINALLY over. It’s a seriously overwhelming thought. I wonder how I’m supposed to spend a week or more doing nothing, except perhaps, updating this bottle of a blog or reading Steinbeck (but, yes, I thank the Lord for this comfort because finally, I’d be able to enjoy longer quiet moments with Him). After a few steps from the entrance, I heard my stomach growl: FILL me up.

I thought it good to eat pizza. So I went to Sbarro, ordered a double-layered pepperoni-and-cheese with a soda, and tastefully ate the meal in more or less 25 minutes. After thanking God for the feeling of satiety, I found myself in deep thoughts—so vast were they that I must’ve looked like I was staring at some blank space four meters away.

I strolled around, bought was I was supposed to buy, namely, a pair of slippers, and went home.

As I write this, my heart still overflows with the thoughts I’ve pondered at the mall: how infinitely merciful and gracious the Lord is for a great year He’s allowed me to have in MBB, for the lessons He has patiently taught me, for His Word that I’ve clung on to when I was at the end of my strength, and for His other blessings that are too many too mention.

Above all, He has answered my prayer before the sem started—I’ve known a lot about Him. For that and for a lot of things, I will be forever grateful.