It's funny though, because I've been doing a lot of searching and traveling for my favorite passion thing....... a parola, which is a Filipino term for a lighthouse.
A parola is a Tagalog term which comes from a root word "Parol", meaning a lantern which is also seen in any lighthouses especially in it's lantern tower.
Everyone of us has an intense interest for something. A term we usually called "fascination" or a hobby.... which is a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual.
Sometimes people called it an "obsession"..... but I refuse to call it like that because it is neither but rather a more intense and ominous description of the word or an inappropriate term to describe it.
As we all know, obsession is a mental disorder which is an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone and I think I have not reached that stage yet.
This fascination of such thing always stuck in my mind and I have a tendency to include it in my to-do-list or set-of-goals to be achieved. Currently, I've been out a lot of times in the open field to look for one or two.
A lighthouse is a beacon light.... a tower with a flashing beam of light that gives signal and warning of shoals to passing ships or boats. It serves a lot of purpose like giving direction to lost ships and telling people that a stretch of shallow water is visible at low tide.
It also conveys a romantic mood, a mood of peacefulness and quiet, a character of strength and power, a sense of direction and many more things. It is a sentinel structure that stands alone into the open seas to help the one who are lost.
When I was a kid, I dreamed a lot about lighthouses. I am so absorbed about that dream, that's why when I was growing up, I pledge to myself to see one when I am able to.
I remember the first time I saw one in the island of Guimaras in the Philippines during my college years. I was so drawn to the character and beauty it held and possess. I cannot explain my exhilaration, as if I was hypnotized to yearn for more sight of it. And that was the start of my fascination.The second lighthouse that I saw was when I was vacationing in New Hampshire and my friend Neil drove me to Maine and showed me one at the tip of the beach in York. The white lighthouse was so captivating, perched on an island cliff with a little white barn downhill on the right side and red storage house near the cliff.
For me, the structure radiates a feeling of nostalgia. A sense of longing for something past. It gives me an inexplicable comfort when I want to be alone thinking of one. It gives me a sense of direction to achieve my goals. It is a strange feeling.... that I kept to myself for a long time.
Lately, I have enough time to look for some interesting lighthouses in the shores of Southern California and I was quite astonished to what I have accomplished. My drive and determination to see some more structures was enormous. And collecting and archiving their beautiful pictures is so fulfilling. So far I have seen four of them and still counting.
As I kept searching for more lighthouses I promised to myself that from now on, everytime I go somewhere, I will look for one and gather pictures of it for my online collection. It gives me the drive and will power as well as a sense of fulfillment.
I got inspired with my little adventure and project and I'm a little impressed of myself and my achievements. I will continue this to quench my interest and achieve my goals.
Sometimes, we have to set some objectives to guide us in our undertakings. And these goals of searching a lighthouse inspired me to be goal-oriented and have a sense of direction and at the same time organize myself and my busy life. It is just up to us on how to prioritize them accordingly for our needs.
Hopefully, this fascination will serve as a good purpose or gateway in my search for a more meaningful life..... and believe me it does.
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