Let me tell you a story. A couple of weeks ago, I was assigned to cover this huge expo held at World Trade Center in Pasay. I knew it was going to be big, and I was excited to meet all these people in the expo. The night before, however, something unfortunate happened and all the excitement, anticipation, and eagerness flew away in a snap. I was really down. Come the day of the event, my mood remained as bad and I merely took the very first dress I saw in my closet for the event. It was a simple, plain maroon dress. As I was about to leave the house, I accidentally saw my Palamuti bag which happened to have my new supply of accessories. I opened it and there, right at the very top, I saw this yellow-brown bib-like necklace. I wasn’t sure if it would fit my dress, but I was ultimately sure that I fell in love with it at first sight. Without thinking twice, I placed it in my bag and finally left. Upon arrival at the expo, I wore it without even checking the mirror. I was running late anyway and there was no time to see how I actually looked. I knew deep inside though that I loved the piece and I trust that feeling.
Lights came out, cameras started to roll, and my work began. The whole coverage took three hours. It was tiring and the fact that it was just the beginning of a whole day of work was stressing me enough. My mood sanked more. As I was about to leave the venue, one of the top organizers of the event approached me and thanked me for the coverage. We had a little chat and exchanged numbers. While I was typing in her digits, she suddenly blurted out, “I always watch you in Unang Hirit and you guys are very versatile no? One day you give public service, the following day you’re all glamed up. Like now. And I love your necklace by the way.” At this point I remembered that I haven’t checked myself on the mirror and so after we said our goodbyes, I went straight to the ladies room. There, for the first time, I was looking at this girl wearing a simple maroon dress accentuated by a very pretty necklace. In fact at first glance, it didn’t seem like a necklace. It looked as if it was part of the dress. It was very beautiful.
You know that saying ‘looking good is feeling good?’ That moment was the perfect example of it. It just happened. All the bad vibes were gone, my mood lightened up like a bulb, and instantly feel so much better. Needless to say, I survived the rest of the day with a genuine smile plastered on my face.
This is just a simple story of how little things can mean so much. The necklace may be just a simple piece of accessory for many but for me, it is a reminder that bad days are indispensable but what’s far more important is how you handle them. So next time you feel like the whole world is against you, fight it with your best weapon! In my case, it is the yellow-brown, bib-like Palamuti necklace. :)
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Monica Verallo is one of the hosts gracing GMA 7's Unang Hirit every day and a regular columnist of ZenHealth Magazine. She is also one of Palamuti by PJ Valenciano's muses.
Read our interview with Monica Verallo: http://palamutibypjvalenciano.blogspot.com/p/stories-of-beauty-and-empowerment.html
