NOW and then, the best Christmas moments are those in the childhood years. No worldly problems to solve, no serious family worries to think about and no preparations to make, expecting that somebody important might visit you in the house. Reminisce those times in that stage when what you think about are gifts you take, from someone who feels the joy of giving. Not from childhood friends, because like you, money at hand or toys you have long been wanting for seems impossible for them to give. Unless, that friend belongs to the upper class needing only droplet of sweat before that ice cream, chocolate or a hundred peso is at hand.
Anyway, it’s not the money or the riches that makes you remember, but it’s the foolishness that surely pops out first in the mind. Like say, when you went out with your friends to carol in the neighborhood and what you got is nearly the bite of a dog, invective of a neighbor, cents from a penny-pinching lady or maybe that profanity you make from an old man who shouts at you to work first before he gives. Poor souls, they do not know how make the young happy this time of the year.
And to get even, either you take their nice footwear leaving your old bedraggled one, harvest their carefully grown fruits, or change the lyrics of the Christmas song into unpleasant ones for them to be annoyed. Now if the neighbor is unaffected the worst part is to get that stone and throw it in their roofs. For sure what’s next is to cover your face and run as fast as you can.
The following day you think of places to hide or hope that your parents will not call you with that hard stick in their hand. To anticipate them, you just call your friends again and hang around anywhere, swim in the river, gather wild fruits in the mountain or earn personal money by lifting heavy baggage of businessmen. You move heaven and earth, hoping desperately that time solves the foolishness you’ve done last night.
That was yesterday, until then, you are now at the so called moment, when life begins at 40. I think someone abridged this cliché by removing the word “difficulty.” Supposed to be, “life’s difficulty begins at 40.” You think of the unpaid bills, taxes, oil price increase, appliance or car repairs. Luckily those are airy things. What more if you think of tuition fees or rent for the landlady. The most unfortunate moment is when your son marries at a flat-footed situation, or a pregnant daughter who doesn't know who the father was. You consulted your doctor because your blood pressure elevated from the tantrums you made, because administrators gave you only a pack of sandwich from the DepEd Christmas family day. Again, your favorite line: Where were the millions gone? The advice of the doctor is to exercise once in a while; brisk walking or light jog will be fine. To avoid huge bills, conserve water and switch off unnecessary lights. All kinds of conservation come out when you are in the forties.
And speaking of lights, my friend Jun Dalog narrates: “Idiay minas binisita ti maysa nga uncle ti kaanakana; ‘Kumusta adda ni tatang mu? katungtungek man’; sinmungbat diay ubing, ‘Haan mu katkatungtungen ni tatang ta agmauyungen, gamin idi rabii nanggeg ko kunana ken nanang, nakaturog dagiti ubbingen, edepem ta silaw ta kanekun.’”
(In the mines, an uncle visited his nephew and he said how are you, is your father around, can I talk to him?; the nephew replied, don’t talk to him he has gone crazy, because last night I heard him say to my mom, the children are asleep, switch off the light so that I will eat it.)
Laughter is still the best therapist. Happy holidays!