A HIGH school classmate sent me this New Year’s Eve message: “Let us sing a Te Deum to thank God for all the graces and blessings we received, and let us pray that He will be gracious to us this year.”
Her message spoke my thoughts, so I shared it with others as well. And though I’m hesitant about New Year’s resolutions, I’ll continue the effort. But I’ll go basic and hopefully, succeed when 2016 is done.
My dad will turn 98 this month. Not a single day passes that I don’t thank the Lord for keeping him generally healthy, despite his fragile age, and happy. He’s on top of my list for every Te Deum I pray.
When doctors know my dad’s age, they say I’m blessed. Long life is genetic, they say, and they expect me to repeat my father’s history.
I doubt it, of course, because genes can bring you only so far. By my father’s health and regimen standards, I’m physically challenged.
I shun exercises because the first bead of perspiration sends me feeling eeky and rushing to the shower room. Despite my foods and nutrition degree, veggies are not in my top-of-the-mind recall.
And despite reading about the wonders of, and hearing the early-to-rise-and-early-to-bed testimonies, sleeping earlier than 1 a.m. is foreign to me.
But if I want my father’s genes to push me to 90, I should start learning new habits.
Friends have been unexpectedly dying on me. I remembered two vivacious ladies, Socorro “Cherry” Muntuerto and Portia Dacalos, who significantly touched many lives.
Their sudden passing last year left a void that will take time to heal. But it made me see the wisdom of keeping in touch with friends, relatives and former classmate.
Also the wisdom of holding reunions more frequently, because one never knows. One meeting might be our last together, and pleasant memories are good to carry during the crossovers.
I’ve lost track of them since we parted, so I’ll try to reconnect with some work colleagues who left important imprints in my life. There’s my former boss at the defunct Islacom, Eugenio Muniosguren Jr., the best HR person I ever knew.
And there’s Dr. Oscar Alfonso, an academic long retired from UP Diliman. His mind was as discerning and awesome as his sense of humor, wit and literary flair. I hope Google will prove a reliable ally when I start my search.
I’ll maintain my Social Media accounts, but will not be their slave. I’ll resist the urge to comment or hit “like” by force of habit.
Whether in Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, I’ll refuse to continue reading any statement starting to reek with toxin and negativity. I don’t believe in empowering the toxin giver to destroy my day.
Rather, I’ll use my accounts to discover potential “Tatak UP” awardees. Year 2017 seems far away, but events can overrun us.
I’ll continue to clean my cabinets of things that have outlived their usefulness. American talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s advice will come in handy --- “whatever reading material you know you won’t be reading in the next six months, throw them away.”
And then there’s my six-year-old grandson who’s growing up too fast. I should go full-speed on documenting his every discovery, antic, and wit too advanced for his years.
(lelani.echaves@gmail.com)