"Change is scary but so is staying the same."
“Don’t you want to move to Jakarta?”
“Why?”
“So that we live closer.”
“If I moved to Jakarta and we live closer, what would YOU do TO ME?”
“…..”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t say a word when he drove me to the train station, and even though I told myself to not look back, I knew he took my pic as I walked by.
I never expected that it would be the last time we saw each other.
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Falling in love is never easy.
You have butterflies on your stomach constantly. You feel your body goes hot and cold when you text him and wait for his response. You giggle as you remember the silly jokes and flirty chats. You cry when you cannot see his face more than three days.
It’s messy.
As much as I believe that happiness and sorrow are two main fuels in writing, I don’t like it when I start loving a guy. I am not myself when I care too much, I realize I cannot make a guy loves me if he doesn’t want to, and this uncertainty puts me – most of the times – in bad mood.
However, being a hopeless romantic and a full-of-rainbow Energizer rabbit, if you ask me if it is still worthy to love and lost, I will firmly say yes.
 |
| "Coincidentally", he published this book moments before meeting me. |
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You see, even a guy cannot changed my mind to leave everything and start over in Jakarta. It was January 2019, one week after his mom passed away. Both of us had no job, he resigned when his mom entered the fourth stadium of breast cancer, and I just finished my contract in Ubud (later on that week, I got the contract renewal and went back to Bali).
It was a battle in my heart and mind. I know I love this guy and we could make good partnership, but I also know that it is an unrequited love. My gut said he will marry soon, although that time I was the only woman in his life other than his mom and sisters, then yes it came true. 5 March 2019, he texted me that he is about to propose a girl… in which I used that text as an opening for my second book.
So why would a simple girl whose daily rituals included performing morning walk while waiting for the sunrise in Sanur and sipping coconut while watching the sunset in Seminyak or Uluwatu; packed all of her stuffs then transform her lifestyle to adapt with hustle and bustle in a metropolitan city?
Yes, she fell in love.
But this time, she didn’t fell in love with a guy. She “fell in love” with FOUR guys and their dreams. She believed in their vision and mission; and wanted to take a part in actualizing this noble purpose.
She has been taught by her parents and big family, to surround herself with people who fight for the prosperity of the people. She has been “branded” by her friends, that whenever she accepted a job to work for, she is not looking for money. She lives for His blessings, so as difficult as it was to get out from her comfort zone: she made a prayer, put her faith in God, and off she went.
---
I can assure she had so much fun.
Although she faced so much confusion as well, but the days went very fast, leaving no space for her to overthink like she usually did.
Even before officially working, she already got introduced to the facilitators and seniors. She also got calls to resolve issues among the volunteers! And the more time she spent at office, the more she feels energized! She finally found her place!
Some people experiencing different duration for honeymoon, but for her it lasted for at least ten months. She is having a platform to create, connect, and contribute – just like her life principles; so if she could stay at office for meetings and doings, she would. She argued, supported – and got supported, joked around her teammates. For her, everyone is just like her younger sisters or brothers. She likes to see them growing to become better human. Boy, when it came to performance reviews and she had to let go somebody, she lost her appetite for days.
After a few months, we can see that her popularity is rising. Volunteers started contacting her not only to ask advices for social projects, but also to hear her opinion about their love life.
“Yooo, your Director is single as f*ck. How dare you come to me for suggestions?”
So many smiles. So many laugh. Just like a quote on the cover of a monthly journal her best friend gave her before starting the new year.
Slow but sure, physically exhausted but mentally still want to pursue the goals, she began to feel insecurities crawling inside her body. There is a voice inside her head saying she is not good enough, and eventually she will fail. She held her tears so hardly in a brainstorming session with a senior, as he said, “if you even failed, so what? Nobody in this world who is never failed.”
That’s when she found another quote, “The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.” She internalized these words like a mantra. Now whenever she heard those doubts, she told herself that she is a farmer, and someday there will be a perfect time to harvest.
But patience is not her best trait. She wants a result – a BIG one – RIGHT NOW. She is having another battle to be win for. She poured over herself, more, more, more, until nothing left for herself. Silently, she talks to psychologist, psychiatrist, and career coaches, because somehow she is convinced that she is a bad leader. Her performance slopping down, although on the other hands, people still congratulate her for making some breakthroughs. She believed they tell lies just to make her happy… she cannot comprehend why people still compliment her for what she took as failures.
Eventually, that day arrived sooner than she predicted.
The day she lost her confidence.
One mistake.
Became THE trigger for all the destructions.
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Three weeks, she struggled with anger, disappointment, and guilt. NOT to anyone but to herself. She wanted to fight harder but she could not even think straight. She was, and still – until this writing is published – in love with all of this, but she doesn’t know if the other side wanted her as well. The joy disappeared instantly, she lost her appetite more severe even when she had dinner with a guy she really likes, she said, “please finish, I will stop.”
In contrary with what people might be thinking, she blamed herself for everything that happened.
“You should have been more patient.”
“Yes, you should have fought harder.”
“You are a Communications Master but very, very not communicative.”
---
Three weeks, she journals every single day, often. On her diary, on her phone. Tried to rationalize and making sense.
At one point, she found herself sick. Indeed, like a friend made an example for her, “you must be feeling like a tree that being revoked until its roots, leaving a big hole on the surface.”
As painful as it is, she said it should stop. She still got contacted by volunteers, and she found enlightenment when they shared their stories…
“Kak Prima, hari ini kami dapat dukungan dari komunitas…..”
“Kak Prima, mohon doa kami akan antarkan bantuan ke pelosok…..”
“Kak Prima, minggu ini kami mau launching gerakan yang dulu kakak bantu inisiasi…..”
As much as she wishes to be given a chance to defend herself and fix everything; she chose to surrender and let go.
After all, just like falling in love to a guy, if he doesn’t want to be with you anymore, why would you beg him strongly?
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Today, she will be returning to Jakarta. But most probably not to go back to that house anymore.
She really misses everyone, but she decided to close the page, and one day if they ever met again, hopefully what left is good memories only, nothing else.
Because the feeling that ruling her now is GRATITUDE. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger – or in her case, will become great content for her next book (catch the hint! *wink wink).
Almost two years, and it was just about the time that God taught her to be wiser.
Almost two years, she had her time to bring ideas to life. She traveled to places she never stepped her feet on. She got introduced to a lot, a lot of amazing people – who speak the same language: kindness.
For her, that is more than enough.
If she is a glass, she is full.
And she is ready to empty it again.
Learning new lessons.
Meeting new people.
Making new masterpiece.
She would be glad to correct what her friend said about a tree.
As she is now a taller tree, which has stronger roots.
Growth, that’s the big theme for the last two years.
And for her to unlock another prize, sadly she has to say good bye.
Because you know what Paulo Coelho once said, “If you are brave enough to say good bye, life will reward you with a new hello."
