|
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Obenieta: At the other side of joy
By Myke U. Obeñeta
Sun.star essay
Safe to say almost nobody would wish being classified odd like a fish in a pear tree when it seems the rage of this season is to be a partridge.
And so, in chorus with the carolers, you’d also parrot about peace as your Christmas wish. Never mind if that favorite word of beauty pageant candidates is ultimately true only if we can rest, well, in peace.
It seems as if it is the magic word for us to have halo over each of
our heads or have stigmata on our palms. But, really, it’s no sweat strangling every Scrooge-wannabe than going empty-handed in this orgy of sharing..
Yes, we could fling high-fives to the three legendary magi about the joy of giving. But, hey, nothing beats the beauty of receiving.
The naked truth is, we’re not entirely way off from scampering for a shred of Santa Claus’ suit. Some would even go out on a limb, or give an arm to get something.
Lately, reindeer sleighs are no swifter than robbers on motorcycles.
Three of them reportedly waylaid and shot a junk shop collector before speeding away with P300,000 in cash. As if on cue a few days later, six persons ambushed a businesswoman’s van and divested her of P30,000.
Why compete for a pittance against children caroling at the motorists when they could ride high in the headlines the day after?
If nobody cared to scribble their names on a beribboned package, at
least they’re now on the wanted list.
Awful, right, but better than being left out in the cold when everyone’s hot about December’s windfall. Not wrapped tidy, the woe of want. So is Pandora’s box.
A gift could be a curse. To receive is to risk envy, especially from those who don’t receive anything because nobody has taken them seriously.
Just recently, I received a white box with a gray jacket inside. Cool, I thought. Because I was careless with cheer that all’s well with the world, I left it on my table with the other gifts so I could pack it all together in one huge plastic bag that I planned to bring the next day.
Sad to say, some fox was quicker than my naivete that none in my office could have been possibly tailor-fitted to be a thief. At the very least, the jacket was not wrested from me by someone with a gun or a knife. Tough luck.
Whoever got that jacket, I hope it’s enough to get through the cold of December. Or so I console myself. But if his Christmas lights would overheat and his house burned down, I’d be merry just the same.
You had it coming, I’d say to the thief. There’s hell to pay, and you reap what you sow. And I’m at peace with the world, hello.
(December 19, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
