filipino,
Literary: Retrospection
Every morning, I wake up from a different dream.
Yesterday, it was the year 2012. We jammed to One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful and ran around the fields with the remnants of the old high school building in the background. The canteen sold ice pops and iced choco while lines of students formed until the canteen ran out. We all headed home with our shoes covered in sand and socks colored brown.
After that, I woke up.
The other day, it was 2013. I played Minecraft with friends and acted as if we were some characters from a video game. We transferred buildings and cleaned the rooms of our new home every single day. We stocked up on masking tape and scratch paper to make balls to throw during countless games of dodgeball.
After that, I woke up.
One time, I went back to 2015. No day ended without us whisper-singing Pop Danthology 2014 in class, not missing a single lyric. We’d huddle in the corner of the room playing Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 on the screens of our small phones. We would talk about the stories our friends wrote on Wattpad and guess their crushes based on the obvious details they left out in the open. It was funny, but I do wish we’d write stories like that again.
After that, I woke up.
When I dreamt of 2016, Closer by The Chainsmokers was playing and I was reminded of the changes we’ve experienced. We greeted our first year in high school after a four-month vacation. A new building, a new set of people, a new schedule to follow—we gained a new light. We ventured forth various paths and stumbled upon obstacles of different sizes. Everything was new to us, and it was amazing.
After that, I woke up.
Every day, it was another year. In 2017, K-pop was becoming more prevalent. Despacito was playing nonstop. In 2018, things became a little more complicated. A bunch of new people showed up, and I guess that was okay. In 2019, things were starting to settle down.
But 2020 showed up, and I realized I wasn’t dreaming. Masks were a must, we had face shields covering our faces, and we couldn’t go outside without being scared of what we might bring back home. On the brighter side, we had our own coping mechanisms. TikTok started blowing up, Among Us brought friends together, and a lot of online businesses came to life.
I fell asleep.
In my next dream, there was a time machine. It was 2021 and I could finally go back and tweak the past to fix the future like what other people would do.
I didn’t, though. Not even when I wake up.
If anything, I’d go back just to experience those times all over again. I’d savor the moments a little bit more. Take with me as much as I can. Go through every little detail ‘til I miss it no more. After all, those experiences are what made me who I am today, and I’d love to go through that journey one more time.
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