Places That Make Me Happy and Sad at the Same Time
Happiness is frightening because it is temporary. After a while, you begin to realize that it slowly fades away, and that is when sadness comes creeping in.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “living in the moment”? A lot of people are adopting the concept of living in the current moment and cherish whatever will happen, or the milk is already spilled and there’s no point in crying about it; get a napkin and clean it up! In other words, life goes on and people eventually move on.
On the other end of the spectrum, some people choose to hold on to that moment longer than time could offer. They take a lot of pictures and videos so they can revisit them or write multiple stories to document that point in time, so letting go of precious moments is quite difficult which is why their happiness is often followed by gloom. The good news is, a gloomy day isn’t forever. It’ll surely pass and a better day will come.
So, where are the places that make me happy and sad at the same time?
Menganti Beach — A Serene Ocean View
This is Menganti. A beautiful place in Kebumen that my friends and I liked to visit. We rode motorcycles for a few hours to get there. Our backs were sore from the trip but it meant nothing once we saw this gorgeous view and listened to the wave breaking and hitting the cliffside.
We would sit for hours and guessed how tall the wave would be. We would collect the adorable seashells only to put them back because one of us believed it wasn’t ethical to take them with us. She said, “It’s like stealing from the sea.” We would stand on those slippery rocks because it was fun, and got the hems of our pants wet, and, of course, it was obligatory to order coconut water and some fries. You could hear how crispy the fries were and the “Aah!” we made as we sipped the refreshing coconut water.
If you read Crichton’s Jurassic Park before you come to Menganti, you will feel like visiting Isla Nubar, or if you love Ireland and its famous cliff of Moher where many great movies were shot, such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Leap Year, you will see that Menganti has a similar cliffside.
Yes, many other seas across the country must have the same cliffside, but Menganti is the closest one from UNSOED, so I was always so excited for the trip.
Before I knew it, the sun bade adieu and the sky slowly got dark. That would be the sign for us to head back. My heart sunk. I didn’t want to leave the water. For once, I secretly wished I were born a mermaid, so I didn’t have to be so upset about leaving the sea and its tranquility. To be parted from the ocean was — and will always be — heartbreaking.
Like a piece of an old song, “And how can you mend a broken heart?” Exactly, you can’t! You can glue the pieces back but it will be forever vulnerable. “Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.” Please leave me near the ocean and let me live again as a dolphin.
The Flyover — A Peaceful Sunset View
How beautiful is that view! Beautiful and… unique. The word ‘Unique’ may be off-putting since the picture is showing the sun which isn’t unique considering everyone is looking at it every morning, but the uniqueness lies in the contrast — the opposite view of what is below the flyover and above it.
Down there, people are busy regardless of the time. Small cars and big trucks going, ‘Whoosh!’ I always wonder where each car is heading to. Are they visiting family members in other towns? Are they going on a vacation? Are they in a hurry because they have a business meeting in exactly three hours? I don’t know, and I desperately want to know, though there’s no way in knowing.
I used to tell someone, “I wish I could be here every day, but I have to work and only have Saturday and Sunday to come here.”
And I got this replay that might make you wonder how old this person is, “You’re looking at it the wrong way. The place becomes special because you only have those days. The rare opportunity makes it extraordinary. Once you come to the flyover too often, the flyover will be bored of having you and you’ll feel it too.”
Fast forward to the future, It’s been two months since I resigned from the previous occupation, I have 7 days a week, and I still haven’t paid any visit to the flyover, so the person spoke a pearl of wisdom that day.
In contrast, the view above is magnificent. As the sun sets, it paints the sky shades of orange and red. From my vantage point, the sun is motionless. It doesn’t move fast like the cars below it. The passing cars and the sun move at different speeds, but God has decided to put them in one scene — in front of my naked eyes. While thinking about it, I listen to emotional background music and turn the volume up, looking at the sun bitterly and bid adieu. I say, “I will see you another day.” I know, dramatic, am I right?
Happiness is never the only child — it is the older sibling! Happiness’ younger sibling that likes to follow around is that grey cloud named sadness. A rainy day needs a rainbow just like a sad person needs a sprinkle of joy. We’re longing for a heavy rainfall after a hot sunny day just like we cry when we laugh too hard or we feel overjoyed, so it is okay to sometimes feel happy and sad at the same time.
This topic is written as part of the writing challenge and there are 28 more topics to go. Cheers.
