Gacad: Make it personal

HERE'S an excerpt from one of Bo Sanchez's articles entitled Simplify and Live the Good Life:

“My parents breathed simplicity. Oxygen too, but that's pretty obvious. Dad was an assistant vice president at a humongous company, yet I didn't “feel” like I was a rich man's kid. Because my parents made it a rule to live below their means. A millionaire's son rode a sleek Benz. I rode our sixteen-year old Toyota that sounded more like a drum and bugle band, with its cacophony of bangs, rattles, and whams.

Oh yes, our neighbors had cars with a little bit of rust. But we had rust with a little bit of car. An heir of the moneyed class was chauffeured to school, but as early as Grade III, I was taking the public jeepney – sitting, standing, or swinging from its handrails like a flapping flag...

The wealthy dined on gourmet meals every day. But the culinary highlight of my whole week was when Mom bought Coke for our Sunday lunch – the only time we tasted the stuff.

I'm not kidding. Rich kids wore outfits from America, England, and Paris. I wore clothes from Avenida, Escolta, and Pasay. The mansions of the rich and famous are veritable furniture showcases, complete with sixteen Egyptian jars from the Nephriti era. I learned that one of those monstrous flower vases was equal to the price of our entire house. But naturally, we too had our own flower vases.

If my archeological knowledge serves me right, they came from the Nescafe era. Their estates have playrooms with life-size Barbie's and Power Rangers. But the way I played with expensive toys was admiring them from the store shelf and using my imagination to the hilt. That way, I owned all the toys in the world.

You'll be shocked by what I'm going to tell you, but in all these, I recall never feeling deprived in anyway. Let me tell you why. I remember my father coming home every night and we'd go jogging together – around our old car parked in the garage. (Dad says he wasn't vying for the Olympics anyway). Then I'd sit on his lap and we'd talk about how to solve the problems of the universe. After dinner, we'd read the comic pages together. Tarzan was my favorite, until I reached puberty. From then on, it became Jane.

Almost every Saturday afternoon, it was father and son time. We'd walk to the shopping center and Dad would buy me a hotdog. Then we'd walk back home, bringing some small thing for Mom, usually a chocolate bar. To add sentimental value to our token gift, I forced myself to take a few bites from it. I guess being with Dad and Mom were all that my little boy's heart ever wanted. And I got it, every single day.”

In this day and age, we are all glued to the mobile phone, tablet, TV, our cool and expensive gadgets, social media and the internet, etc.

Whatever happened to “up close and personal?” Think about it...when was the last time we were really in a personal (face to face) conversation with our parents, partners, children, grandkids, “friends” and family?

Let's try to make it more personal. The mini-reunion of the Lamrons (8.4.84) last Tuesday, July 24, 2018 was awesome! I got to see my brothers Bong Leones from Pampanga and VP Bullets Olarte, both of whom organized the whole thing. Thanks mga utol for the “treat” and the opportunity to be together with you again, Bro. Joey and sis. Dianne Orduna from the US, Jay Fernandez also from America, Atty. Leo Lazaro from Urdaneta, Prez LA “Hapon” Ramos (agasem sinundok la ngaruden tapos nag emo pay laeng, haha), Victor Alviar, Bong Palaganas and Tommy Balcita (halakata basul mo, haha). It was one for the books and I'm so proud to be a part of “our family!” Special thanks to Jojo Marrerro and the Ocho Tres “adings.”

Make it personal! It will be well worth it... promise! See you on the 6th - our 34th...

“Sometimes you have to disconnect to stay connected. Remember the old days when you had eye contact during a conversation? When everyone wasn't looking down at a device in their hands? We've become so focused on that tiny screen that we forget the big picture, the people right in front of us.” ~ Regina Brett

“Nothing replaces being in the same room, face-to-face, breathing the same air and reading and feeling each other's micro-expressions.” ~ Peter Guber

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph