Today Felt Like a Win

Wanted to post this so I'll get reminded yearly of how today felt.

After taking this photo, AJ asked me what was up since I was staring off weirdly into space. I told him I was just thinking about how lucky we are to be sitting here—and that I’m simply grateful.

Five or six years ago, when I was just starting to live independently, I couldn’t even afford a ₱150 fast food meal, let alone a ₱150 cup of coffee. I used to wake up so early just to cook breakfast and lunch so I could bring food to work. I still vividly remember refusing to eat out with my workmates—not because I was shy, but because I genuinely couldn’t afford to spend ₱150–₱200 on a single meal. It felt outrageous to spend that much when I could buy half a chicken at Andoks and stretch that over three meals! (Right?!)

Today, AJ finally took a day off, so we decided to have lunch out. We also bought some new clothes using the free gift certificates from work (JG gives employees GCs quarterly—thank you, JG, hehe). We bought books (of course!), and now we’re sipping that ₱150 coffee. Wow. This simple day just made me really happy.

God knows how much we’ve dreamed and how hard we’ve worked. And since I want to keep recognizing small wins and practicing gratitude, I just want to say:
Thank You, Lord.

I always pray for health and happiness for my family—and if we get to keep affording ₱150 meals and ₱150 coffee, that’s just a bonus.

So to you, reading this—if you're working hard and dreaming big... it will get better.
Perseverance and discipline work. Setting goals is effective.
Better days are yet to come. Keep hustling!