January 30, 2025
by Matte Jayferson M. Manon-og
The sky has always been a symbol of possibility—vast, boundless, and full of promises. For many of us, the sky represents a future where our dreams take flight, where the limits of gravity no longer apply, and where ambition can soar as high as we dare to go. But what will happen when the sky isn’t as blue as we imagined? What will happen when our dream feels too big, too distant, and too heavy to carry? Paano kung sa halip na pag-angat, ang nararamdaman ko ay unti-unting pagbagsak? (What if, instead of rising, I feel like I am slowly falling?)
I entered this journey with passion and ambition burning in my heart, believing that if I worked hard enough, success would come easily. Pero habang lumilipas ang panahon, nararamdaman kong unti-unting bumibigat ang bawat hakbang (But as time passes, I feel each step growing heavier)—sleepless nights, endless exams, and the constant fear of failure. I see others moving forward, achieving milestones, while I struggle just to keep up. The weight of expectations, both from myself and from others, presses down on me like gravity refusing to let go. “Kaya ko pa ba?” (“Can I still keep going?”) I ask myself, afraid that maybe, just maybe, my dream is slipping beyond my reach.
They say that if you love what you do, it will never feel like work, but that’s not always the case. Kahit pa gaano mo kamahal ang pangarap mo, may mga araw talagang mapapagod ka sa pagkamit nito. (No matter how much you love your dream, there will be days when you get tired of chasing it.) There will be days when I question if I’m still on the right path, if I’m even capable of reaching my destination. The turbulence of self-doubt shakes me, making me wonder if I have what it takes to continue. And in those moments, quitting feels like the easier option.
But maybe dreams were never meant to be easy. Hindi ba’t ang bawat piloto ay dumadaan sa matinding pagsasanay bago makalipad nang mag-isa? (Doesn’t every pilot go through rigorous training before they can fly solo?) Every aircraft mechanic spends hours studying manuals they couldn’t understand at first, every air traffic controller has felt overwhelmed by the weight of their responsibilities and learns to handle pressure, and every aspiring aviator faces setbacks before they succeed. Perhaps the struggle is part of the process—proof that what we are chasing is something truly worth having. Maybe the difficulties are not signs to stop but challenges meant to strengthen our wings.
So what do I do when the sky turns gray and my wings feel too heavy? I remind myself why I started—why I chose this path despite knowing it would not be easy. I think about the moments when my heart soared with passion, when I first dreamed of touching the skies, when I believed that I was capable of more. Hindi ba’t walang eroplano ang nakakarating sa destinasyon nang walang hamon ng hangin at grabidad ng mundo? (Doesn’t every airplane face the challenge of wind and gravity before reaching its destination?) Just because the journey is difficult does not mean I am lost; just because the skies are not clear does not mean I will never reach my destination.
I may not be flying at full speed, but every small step, every lesson learned, every failure endured is a part of the flight. I am not always soaring through the skies; sometimes, it feels like I’m stuck in a holding pattern, unable to move forward and continue on my journey. But even in a holding pattern, a pilot does not abandon the flight—they wait for the right time, the right clearance, the right moment to continue their journey forward. My journey is not defined by how quickly I get there but by my willingness to keep going despite the turbulence. Because true aviators do not measure success by speed—they measure it by perseverance.
No matter how stormy the skies may seem, I will keep going, because I am not the only one who has ever struggled. Every great aviator, every skilled mechanic, every respected air traffic controller once stood where I stand—doubting, struggling, yet choosing to push forward. Wala namang pangarap na madaling abutin, pero walang pangarap na imposible kung patuloy kong pagsisikapan. (No dream is easy to achieve, but no dream is impossible if I keep working hard for it.) I will trust the process, trust my own growth, and trust that one day, the skies will clear. One day, I will look back and realize that the struggles were simply part of the climb to my designated cruising altitude.
The skies are not always blue, but that does not mean I wasn’t meant to fly. Because dreams, like aircraft, are built to rise above the storms. So, spread your wings, trust the wind, and let your dreams take flight.