Imperfectly Perfect Art

Perfect—that's how others describe the life she has. She has an angelic face and a beautiful body that a lot of people are dying to have; a big house with a grandiose interior filled with expensive furniture; a closet full of fancy clothes; a shelf full of branded bags; and a room designed like a queen's room full of things that cost over a million dollars. 

She has a perfect family: a loving father who owns a big business empire, a warm and loving mother who always dotted her, and a protective big brother who always saves her day.

 Everything seems fine, but her life is far from being perfect. What people can see is merely a facade. Her life is a total mess. Her family is in chaos. Her dad and her mom argue every single day. That's what wakes her up in the morning; their shouting and loud exchange of profanities. Their relationship is not that strong, and their marriage is about to end. 

Her childhood is also that great. When she was in elementary, she was verbally bullied by her classmates because of her physical appearance, which is why, as she grew up, she tried her best to fit their standards. That unfortunate experience made her lose her confidence. Since then, up to the present, she has become shy and struggled to express herself. And unlike others whose lives are filled with parties and strolling around, school and home became her life. She is Aintza Cassiel Fortejo. Her name Aintza means luck and Cassiel which came from the name of an angel; a name that is totally opposite of her reality.

One day, while she was at school, taking the exam, she received news about her father that shocked her to the point that she almost lost consciousness. One of the house helpers called her and told her that her dad had been in an accident and was now in the emergency room. Hearing the news, she immediately ran out of the room as tears continued to stream down her face. Even though her eyes were blurry because of the tears, she did her best to run and find a taxi until she successfully reached the hospital.

There, she found her mom hysterically crying together with her brother, who was trying to calm her. She asked them what happened, and they were about to speak when the doctors came out of the room. They hurriedly came in front and asked them about her dad's state. Then they told them the devastating news. They tried their best to save her dad, but he ended up in a coma. The exact date when he will wake up is not known yet, or if he will still be able to wake up. She still couldn't process what the doctors just said, and the moment it sank in, she fell to the ground as the darkness swallowed her completely.

Years have passed since the day she lost the lifestyle she used to live and the circle of friends she once cherished. However, after 10 years of hoping and patiently waiting, her father woke up. For ten years, they have already spent all their savings on his hospital bills. In those 10 years, most of the family's friends and relatives turned their back on them, treating them as mere strangers. For a long time, people laughed at her, pointing their fingers at her family. Despite that, she tried her best to survive, and now she has finally succeeded in her chosen field. She's now a skilled licensed doctor, well known in the field of medicine.

As she reflects on her past experiences, she suddenly remembers one of the articles she read online; an article entitled 'My Life as an Imperfectly Perfect Art'. This is what the author wrote.

My life and I are like art. There are people who appreciate its beauty, while there are some who treat it like trash. There are people who understand me through my actions, while there are others who simply judge me based on how I behave without knowing my reasons. Just like in art, where people judge the artwork based on what they see with their naked eye, without knowing the story behind that art, without knowing the artist's reason why they created that masterpiece.

 Just like an art, my life has never been perfect; the family I am in is imperfect. My father was a brave soldier who died because of his own comrade. His blood painted the floor of the living room where he was leisurely watching the television. He died with me not knowing what he looked like if not through pictures. Since then, my imperfectly perfect life has become messier.

Since his death, my mom has struggled to raise me alone as I continue to study harder just to improve our lives in the future. As I grew up, I witnessed how hard my mom worked and tried her best even though a lot of people kept on trying to pull her down. I noticed how her determination did not vanish. Instead, it continues to blaze like a fire. Throughout the hardships that I experienced, from being bullied, how it affected me until the present, up to the struggles I witnessed from my mom, I sometimes wish to change even just one chapter of my life, but I know that, unlike art, where the artist can simply change the canvas the moment he makes a mistake and can start his work once again, it is impossible. 

But do you know what I have learned? I learned that just like art, what happens in my life depends on me because I am the artist and writer of my own life story. 

She couldn't help but to smile as she made her way towards her patient's room and said, "Indeed. "Life is an imperfectly perfect art."