There's Always A Way

What else makes us strong besides the trials of life that we go through?

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I remember my school days when I was caught in the rain this afternoon. In the past, I didn't have the opportunity to go to kindergarten because my parents didn't have money. So my parents skipped the kindergarten phase for me and I went straight to elementary school when I was the right age.

Because of that, I became very stupid in the first grade of elementary school. When other students already knew the alphabet from their previous kindergarten, and of course I was like a blind person who didn't know the alphabet at all.

My late mother was indeed a hard worker but also a loving person with her version. I still remember clearly, when it was dark, my late mother lit a lamp with kerosene fuel just for me to study. While my late mother left the other room dim because she had to share the light.

My late mother rarely smiled in front of other people. But strangely, my late mother always smiled when she was with me. Especially when we were cooking in the kitchen. Since I was little, I often spent time with my late mother in the kitchen.

My late mother never stopped teaching me many things. And in the third grade of elementary school, I clearly remember that I managed to win first place in class. I was even able to maintain my class champion title until I graduated from elementary school and continued to other levels of education until I finally graduated from college and worked.

What I remember tonight is that there will always be a way for those of us who never give up. I have proven it myself and giving up is not in my spirit.

I have gone through many difficult paths and I have never regretted the paths I have chosen. In fact, I consider those difficult paths to be tests for me to become stronger and in the end I can become the best version of myself from day to day.

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Back to the story about my activities on the afternoon that I got caught in the rain. In the afternoon I walked about 3 km to meet my daily target of steps, and at the same time I had the goal of filling my internet package which had suddenly run out today so I had no reserves.

In the middle of the road, the sky looked so cloudy and heavy rain fell! I had to stop at a random place that had a roof for me to take shelter. The cold attacked and the wind slightly blew the rainwater towards my body. I was restless because I was alone and it would soon be dark.

I felt like this rain would last a long time like the previous days. I only remembered God at that moment, I prayed and I hoped for help.

I also saw a small food stall right behind where I was taking shelter! My eyes sparkled happily shining with hope. At least if it rained longer I could take shelter there and maybe borrow the stall owner's cellphone to order online transportation so I could go home.

I waited for the right moment so I could run to the stall. The rain eased a little and I immediately ran. The rain did get heavy again but luckily I had already arrived at the small stall.

In the area where I currently live, there are indeed many small home-cooked stalls like this that open in the afternoon. This small stall had just opened.

I asked the owner of this stall if there were any credit or internet package sellers nearby. It turned out there were none. I was disappointed but then a middle-aged woman who owned this stall offered me to top up my internet package through her relative. Then the woman contacted her relative and topped up my internet package.

I smiled in relief because I got help in difficult times like this. Really, as I said earlier, there will always be a way if we believe in it.

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A small stall next to the road. Several people also started to stop by this small stall. This food stall sells snacks and drinks. Especially Indonesian snacks.

At the end space there is also an old-style TV that is showing a local club football match. The stall owner said that if there is a national match, this stall will usually be crowded at night.

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I ordered a snack while I waited for the rain to stop. I ordered fried tempeh, with one skewer of quail egg satay. I also took a small green chili and spicy soy sauce to complement this fried tempeh.

Fried tempeh is typical in this area which is also my favorite and even better my mother's. This fried tempeh is usually eaten with spicy soy sauce and small green chilies.

A fact is that my late mother was very good at making tempeh snacks like this. Unfortunately, today there are too many memories that remind me of me. Honestly, I'm a little sad but I can't cry in a public place like this.

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The heavy rain also made me order ginger tea. Warm and slightly sweet ginger tea. At least this ginger can warm my body because the air is really cold.

I paid 0.6 dollars for all these snacks and also this glass of ginger tea.

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I looked ahead. People were still driving past even though it was raining heavily. So in the end I wanted to explore photography with a different mode than usual.

I used the long exposure mode which is a feature that is already available on my cellphone. The following are the results of cellphone photography with long exposure mode that I managed to take.

I think that darkness is not entirely bad. Like the photos that I managed to take. In fact, the interesting lights come from the darkness.

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I took a deep breath. But it was a relief. I know, God never leaves me alone, and will always send angelic people to help. Just never give up, okay?

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Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari

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