I once asked a friend this oft-repeated somewhat-of-a-ridiculous question: “If you were given the chance to live your life anew, would you do it differently?”
After panning his gaze at people doing their stuff at the crowded fast food section of the mall, he whispered “No!” and grinned.
Whatever his “No!” and succeeding grin meant, I just clipped my lips.
A chance to live life again? Not gonna happen in anyone’s lifetime, buddy. So stop dreaming.
Just the same, if and when living life anew becomes a reality, I would exactly live my life as I have lived it before.
My bads? I did learn from these. I hope to make sure that I would not have to say “I’m sorry” again. BTW, who cares if I swept my misdemeanors under the rug of selective amnesia and waited for the Divine Cleaner, a maintenance solutions person, to tidy up the mess?
My Pandora’s Box? Count the worms as among the cursed relics buried deep in a fictional treasure island.
My shortfalls and stumbles? I haven’t quite figured out yet how to convert shortfalls into windfalls; but with enough effort, it may come. About stumbles, I simply stood up, applied Band-Aid or Salonpas, and moved on.
Since living life anew is as impossible and improbable as the sun setting in the east, I might as well exist with and by my shortcomings. They surely have added spice to the life I’ve been having, you know.
Japanese Masazo Nonaka is the world’s oldest living man.
Nonako, who likes sweets and enjoys a long soak in hot springs, is 112 years old and counting a few more days to cap another birth anniversary milestone on July 25.
The Guinness World Records certified Nonaka’s age and recently awarded him a certificate at his home in Ashoro, Hokkaido, and celebrated with a big cake decorated with berries.
Media reports said Nonaka replaced Spain’s Francisco Olivera, who died earlier this year at age 113, as the world’s oldest man.
Guinness said that among females, 117-year-old Japanese Nabi Tajima is expected to be certified as the world’s oldest person, replacing Jamaican Violet Moss-Brown, who died in September last year at age 117.
Back in the day when I was a weekly community paper reporter doing price-watch rounds at the local market, I always chance on an elder manning a food and vegetable stall.
Despite his quite advanced age (I later learned he was 92 then), he was alert, he moved quickly, and he spontaneously smiled or waved at anyone and everyone within a kilometer radius from his small stall.
Curious, I asked him his formula for a long and productive life.
He got a camote (sweet potato) from a stack and said: “Buy and eat a lot of these; and be awed.”
Adding: “It gets rid of the bad air in me.”
Now I know why a comic suggested that “farting is such sweet sorrow.”
Was the comic talking about a rueful hello? At least, it was not about a poignant goodbye.
But this careless whisper sometimes really stings and is a pain in the nose.
Yet, it’s not a major reason for a gas station owner to call a promotional stub for free fuel a gas pass.
Your Honor, rephrase: If I were given the chance to live a very, very long life, do I have to eat pancit?
Reply: I don’t understand.
Let the dictates of conscience, free will, fate and destiny decide about how short or long life should be.
As they say: If one is that bad and rotten, many wish that the Lord keep him or her away for good.
On the contrary, if one is so good, many will wish him or her good luck, good health and God’s blessings; and may even get a complementary “May your tribe increase!” before champagne glasses clink.
If you ask me, I’d rather measure the longevity of life with what good I have done in the full 24-hour duration of yesterday’s tomorrow – which is today.
Then, I should be contented and satisfied, ready to face a new dawn.
Live even longer? Why not?
Life is simple. The geese do not have to apply for visas when they fly south during the winter. So why worry? But, first, stay alive and healthy.
Life is beautiful. It becomes more wonderful when a person thinks good, speaks good and acts good. But, first, stay productive and safe.
It might help us enjoy life even better and make out a clean and healthy partnership with Mother Nature. Please contribute what you have to do to make the celebration of Earth Day on April 22 a big success.
“Lolo, how old are you?” my grandchild once asked.
“I’m as old as my life,” I answered.
“Mom, do you have five cents?”
“Why?”
“I’ll give it to Lolo to buy someone to talk to.”
Several weeks ago, Balita publisher Tess Cusipag called my attention to my recent columns that oftentimes dealt with the subject of death. There was nothing wrong with the articles, but writing more engaging stuff is appreciated.
Her thoughts and concerns are very much appreciated and respected.
The pilgrimages in life of relatives and friends just came so suddenly and almost at the same time that I was so overwhelmed with the unfortunate loss.
That awe made me very eager to understand fully the meaning of having and living life, and the divine promise of eternal life after death.
Really, God works in mysterious ways. Life to Death to Eternal Life, wow!
Every time Uncle Johnny attends a wake, he mumbles a fervent prayer for the deceased.
Then he requests for a friendly visit so that the dead may be able to tell him what has happened on the latter’s way to God’s Kingdom.
Uncle Johnny, an avid Blue Jays fan, says he needs the feedback to ably prepare for his final Homer.
I always tell him to be careful with what he wishes for.
So far, he continues to breathe and to enjoy the amenities of his God-given life to the fullest, even after being ignored by non-returning kin and buddies.
In August, I will be attending the 48th high school graduation anniversary of the University of Santo Tomas-Education High School (UST-EHS) Class of 1970, to be conducted here in Toronto with a visit to Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake.
Oh, the sights and sounds of Ontario and Canada will always be there.
What amazes me is the thought that I look forward to see and be with my classmates and batch mates again, after four years of high school life with them and after nearly 48 years of not seeing and being with most of them.
There will be lots of stories about the great moments we had in high school.
Expected are a lot of stories too about life and experiences after high school.
A lot of keeping up with the times as we renew bonds of friendship will fill up the table.
Life is really good to all of us, as we also look forward to attending the class golden jubilee in Manila, the Philippines in early 2020.
How I wish fellow students and graduates of UST-EHS could join the Class of 1970 in this momentous event, the first Class of 1970 reunion to be conducted in Canada. butchgalicia@yahoo.com
