by Analyn Revilla

Today, September 25th of 2026 is the mid-Autumn Mooncake festival. I rushed to get to Wonder Bakery before it closed at 9 PM from South LA to DTLA Chinatown after a late mass.  When I got there the only employee left was mopping the floor under the tables.  I bought mooncakes of two varieties:  lotus seed with duck egg yolk and red bean paste with duck egg yolk.  It has been my tradition in the past three years to buy mooncakes here as it’s the only place open late that sells them.  The more famous Phoenix Bakery was a block away but closed at 6:00 PM.

My day started at 7:00 AM and sandwiched between the mooncake trip were the litany of constant caring for pets (a dog, four cats and five chickens), a hike at Kenneth Hahn, grocery shopping, teaching a Pilates Reformer class at 9:00 AM. Though I was fatigued and squeezed for time, I was determined to get my mooncakes today.  I asked myself “Why is this so important to you?”  It could wait till tomorrow or even another week to get the mooncakes.  

The short answer is I’m a traditional kind of person.  Practicing traditions has a deep meaning for me and I don’t know exactly what it is for the mid-Autumn Mooncake festival.  I am Filipino, and as a Catholic this isn’t even a regular practice.  But, I have picked up certain practices in my exposure to different cultures.  A couple of weeks ago was the Ethiopian New Year, and I went to see my friends in Little Ethiopia, and sent greetings to Ethiopian friends in far away places.   More recently was Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  I also acknowledged the solemnity of these events to friends who practice the rituals of the High Holy Days.   

All this had me wondering as to whether my choices and actions are based on belief, opinions or preferences. There is a spectrum of consequences to what I choose and do.  To begin with there are short-term and/or long-term consequences.  Also it could be serious or not-so-serious consequences; negative or positive in terms of how it all plays out.

This reminds me of the terrible, terrible time I had when deciding upon my specialty in Computer Science.  The options were:  Business Systems, Microcomputer Systems, Artificial Intelligence and Decision Systems.  I chose Decision Systems with the hope I could learn to make decisions easily with some intelligence applied in the process.  It was a miserable and the wrong choice for me, because it was heavy on mathematics with a lot of linear programming.  But I got through it (and I bet with a lot of Divine intervention).

I noticed that I have made a lot of major choices that were life-changing based on a hunch, a deep knowing of what is right for me, because I trust I am being guided by a divine force.  I pray a lot.  I’ve learned to be cool, to trust this inner knowing, and to act with the long-term effect in mind.  I suppose I bias more towards making decisions that are based on belief rather than opinion, with the understanding that opinions can change when circumstances or evidence changes.  But it’s not often that all the facts are available at the moment when the decision has to be made.  Belief is deeper in the marrow of my being.

I bought my round-trip airfare ticket to fly back to Vancouver for Canadian Thanksgiving in mid-October.  Whenever a big outlay of money is involved then I give the decision making process serious consideration.  So many what-if’s come into play, even down to buying insurance for the flight, and whether to pay for extra leg-room or to pay for two check-in baggages.  The apps for these airline tickets always ask “Are you sure?” with the purpose of creating more anxiety on an already trepidation-laden transaction.  Yes, I’m sure! I want to scream at an inanimate screen that pretends to be human.  

I daresay that as I get closer to my “golden years”, I am practicing to be more self-aware of what’s driving my choices.  I consciously think of time as a precious commodity.  I don’t hesitate to hang up on telemarketers, especially the automated variety.  My radar goes up for situations when the players aren’t serious about the gravity of choices to be made. 

Tonight I can enjoy my mooncake with a cup of tea and gaze up at the moon, knowing I am ready.  I made the journey and I have arrived again.  As a Catholic, this is preparing me for the ritual of getting ready for the Advent season as candles are lit to bring the light into the world.