Carry On

 

You swore and said,
"We are not,
We are not shining stars"
This I know,
I never said we are
Though I've never been through hell like that
I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground
Carry on

....'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

Velvet Bustier: Style Staple | Tutu Skirt: Glitterati | Shoes: Gravity Footwear | Bag: Chanel

Elizabeth Beresford once said, "Make good use of bad rubbish." I know this to be true and I grew up with this adage on mind... I lived through the principle, and I believe wholeheartedly on the quotation. The title of my post comes from the new song of Fun entitled, Carry On, which I reckon bears the same message as the quotation. I love empowering songs, like this one, and I have to say this song is the new and modernized version of U2's Stuck in A Moment for me...and that says a lot, considering the latter song has always been a personal favorite of mine. Favorite line, "It's  just a moment, this time shall pass."

Life drags us down. Somehow I think it was designed to have bumps along the road and hurdles to encounter and the thing is, no matter who we are and what we have achieved, no one is an exemption to this constant thing. We face difficulties, we face challenges, we face betrayals... and sometimes, at the end of the day, all we can really do is to carry on. 

Carry On. It's really up to us what we decide to do with our lives. We may have been battered, bruised, beaten, molested, spoiled, abused, betrayed or overindulged. All of us have feelings, memories and experiences we need to work through. But we need to carry on. I am no exception. None of us ever had perfect lives, perfect relationships, perfect pasts. In fact, dysfunction seems to be the norm for the society.

The question for us is how have our experiences affected us and what do we need to do to learn from all that we have gone through...to work through those lessons, integrate them into our being, turn them over and move on...and carry on? When we get stuck in our blame, anger, hurt and denial, we are the ones who suffer and at the end of the day, it is up to us to ultimately make good use of the bad rubbish. Personally, I experienced a certain negative experience that had set me back immensely. The amount of personal trauma, humiliation and betrayal was intense. The negativity surrounding me, the unkindness, the ruthlessness made me lose faith in the good in people. The aftermath- the effort I had to exert to seek justice, to make the truth come out and to finally let go and carry on- was one of the biggest feats I have had to overcome. But I had to carry on-to see through and to finish the conflict that I did not even start- and to keep on moving and struggling despite the hostility I was subjecting myself to. It was my own personal mission to see things through and to carry on. At the end of the day, when everything is right where it belongs, I finally see that carrying on, was worth it all. No sentiment could be more than looking at the person who has wronged you and showing compassion- it is usually the hardest thing to do, especially when your magnanimity is not appreciated... But at the end of it all, you carry on, and right is right, and wrong is wrong...no matter how people package it. You may present what's wrong and what is a lie with lace and ribbons, but no amount of decoration can hide the truth,  the ultimate truth.  

For the record, allow me to say: nothing feels as good as the feeling of vindication.

 Makeup: 
 Bobbi Brown BB Cream, MAC Carbon Eyeshadow, MAC Blacktied Eyeshadown, MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, Lipstick: MAC Angel
 

 

So my point is this: even when the entire universe seems to conspire against you, even if you are being sucked into a black hole by your transgressors, even if you feel like pretty much what you are going through seems to be as close to hell as it gets... as a human being, you owe it to yourself to carry on. Who knows-perhaps a powerful, life-changing lesson might be lurking just around the corner? And who knows? When you're lucky, sometimes, when you persevere long enough....

 you might just win the war.

Just carry on.

xx, JL

Dinner the night I wore this outfit was at Masetto in Makati, one of my favorite restaurants ever...