Ate Maya: The Simple Woman From Palaui Who Changed My Outlook on Life

Meet Ate Maya, a resident of Palaui Island. We met her when we took a short rest from a 3 hour trek to see the Cape Engaño lighthouse. She lives in a small hut with her husband which is only a few meters from the hill where the lighthouse majestically stands. They were kind enough to offer us a glass of water after that grueling trek from Punta Verde. What's amazing about this couple is that they don't have any electricity and they don't have any neighbors at all. And while our guide was resting and having a chitchat with Ate Maya's husband, I had also had a good talk with Ate Maya.

Ate Maya doesn't mind not having any neighbors at all. She prefers to live a simple life away from civilization than to be part of a society were people are egocentric and selfish. She doesn't care if some people are richer than her because she's already contented with what she have. During her free time she does cross stitch and thought that it might be fun to display her finished pieces. In fact, some of her works have reached as far as Canada and other countries. I was able to see her collection of DMC threads that she uses for her cross stitch works and learned that each ball costs around Php 30 so if any of you guys are planning to go Palaui and trek all the way to the lighthouse, I'd really appreciate if you could visit her place and bring her any DMC thread or cross-stitch materials. This would really help her a lot.

I really admire her positive outlook on life and even though it can be very hard on her, she's very thankful that she has a roof over her head and a small lot where she can grow fruits and vegetables for her everyday living. She even pities those people who worry too much about their future because she believes that living today is more important and that alone is a blessing. 

Ate Maya's simple outlook on life reminded me to be humble and to be thankful for all the blessings that I've been receiving. I really admire the way she looks at things positively no matter how hard and unsettling the situation may appear. We can choose to look at things the negative way and always see the bad side, or be positive and live a happy and fulfilling life.

This is my entry to the September Blog Carnival hosted by Marky Ramone Go of Nomadic Experiences on the topic "Unforgettable Human Encounters on the Road".