Kobe Bryant, one of the basketball legends, died yesterday in a helicopter crash together with his 13 year old daughter and 7 companions, including 2 of Gianna’s teamates and the pilot. I learned about this sad news when I was browsing my IG in the toilet at 5am. It was a balita that you wouldn’t like to start your day with.
I felt devastated. I felt feelings that I couldn’t comprehend. Why was I feeling extreme sadness over the death of a person I don’t personally know naman?
I felt sad because Kobe died at a very young age. He was 41. That’s me, next year. I cannot imagine dying next year. It’s very early. Ang dami ko pang gustong gawin. Ang dami ko pang gustong matulungan. Alvin promised me that we’d travel when we’re older pag may sariling mundo na si Anika. And ayun pa. Ang bata pa ni Anika. I will be missing out a lot in her experiences and major milestones. I cannot imagine dying at 41.
I felt sadder because Kobe was with his 13 year old daughter. They both died. I saw a video in Youtube of how their helicopter crashed. May ilang seconds pa na gumewang gewang paikot ikot yung helicopter sa air before it finally hit the ground. Imagine how Kobe felt in those few seconds when he knew their helicopter was crashing. Yakap yakap siguro niya yung anak niya. Wala siyang magawa. We swore to protect our kids forever. Willing din tayo isacrifice our lives for them. But at that moment, alam niya na wala siyang magagawa. For sure also he thought about his wife and his 3 daughters that he will leave behind. Tragis. Ang bigat sa loob.
I felt the saddest when I thought about Vannesa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mom. I cannot fathom what’s she’s feeling right now. She lost her husband and daughter in one day. It’s not fair. The pain is unimaginable. Masisiraan na siguro ako ng bait nun.
Hindi ako maka-get over. I kept reading and reading the news. Lalo ako nalungkot when I read about the victims who died with them. May mag-asawa who was with their daughter. Orphan na yung naiwan nilang son and daughter sa bahay. There was a mom who died too. She is survived by her husband and three young kids. A mother and daughter also died. Ang babata pa nila.
This made me realize talaga that life is short. Tomorrow is never promised. Everything may be gone in a blink of an eye. My worries about the future seem petty na. Ang importante is yung today. All of my overthinking parang walang sense na now. The tragic death of Kobe Bryant made me realize that I should be more present. Ayaw ko na manood ng koreanovela whenever Alvin and Anika are awake. Sayang oras. Ayaw ko na magworry lagi because it takes my time away from them. Be present nga eh. And I realized, you will never know when God will get you. We can always pray na wag muna kasi ang babata pa ng mga anak natin but the harsh reality is we can really never tell. All that we can do is to make them feel na love na love natin sila and spend quality time with them as much as we possibly can.
I will end this post with a quote that I read yesterday na na-antig talaga ang damdamin ko.
“Today taught me that something as simple as you and your family leaving home and returning safe is such an underrated blessing.”
Sa makatuwid, we need to be thankful even for small things in life. I shall hug my mag-ama tighter every day.