A time to pause

Today is the valley between two peaks, the restful calm between the joy of Christmas and the revelry of New Year. How nice it is to be at a point when you want to take a pause between two exhilarating events — because some people don’t even have highs to take a pause from. Some people just coast along a straight line from Christmas to New Year. Some, especially those who lost their loved ones during the Season, probably just descend the depths of their grief. While some of us complain about how hectic it is to flit from party to party and from reunion to reunion, about queues in supermarkets and never-ending gifts to wrap, pounds to shed off starting Jan.1, others simply wish they had our problems. The problem of frenzy; the problem of plenty.

Today, however, is not the start of a guilt trip. It is a time to pause, to catch our breath, to stop the dizzying merry-go-round of our fast-paced lives, to be still and focus:

1. On how blessed we are. I was seated beside Press Secretary Sonny Coloma during a gift-giving activity at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati last Dec. 24 and when asked for his Christmas wish, he said, “Just for continued good health. At this point in my life, there is nothing else for me to ask for.” Those of us with this gift should realize that with good health, everything else — including biceps and washboard abs, an iPhone or a lover — is a bonus.

Those struggling with their health are also blessed because it is usually in this time of need that they realize how precious life really is and how precious their loved ones truly are.

2. On how truly wealthy we are. During our Christmas reunion, my cousin Karen said that though she may not be awash in cash like she used to be, this is the time of her life that she truly feels rich — because of her four children. Each of her children is a gem — loving, hardworking, goal-driven but family-oriented.

I think Karen lives on billionaires’ row in a world where one’s income is measured by the windfall of joy one’s children bring you.

3. On the gift of laughter. It is is better than medicine. I love it when I laugh till tears roll down my cheeks.

Aside from my Uncle Bob, my Uncle Pedieng is the last man standing in his age group in the family. My beloved father Frank has passed away, and so have my Uncles Pons and Val. My husband Ed thinks humor is Uncle Pedieng’s secret to longevity — the obvious secret, that is. The other secrets to his good health and youthful looks are between him and my Auntie Nellie! (Both of them are in their early eighties). Uncle Pedieng is Ed’s idol.

4. On how it is never too late (or too early) to turn a new leaf. My youngest sister Val used to go to sleep without doing her homework when she was a little girl. And that wasn’t the big deal about it — going to sleep without doing her homework and not worrying about it, was. When asked during our reunion the big change between then and now, Val said, “Today, I never sleep without doing my homework.” Val now runs several gas stations, has a thriving home-based baking business and is a take-charge mom to two teenagers aside from being a supportive wife to her husband Ping.

5. On how learning a new skill and a new gadget isn’t only fun, it’s good for your health. I have many Facebook friends who are senior citizens (like the sharp and sprightly Lita, a doctor), and believe you me, getting into Facebook the first time, posting, uploading and downloading photos, aren’t easy. I recently inherited my son’s iPhone after he bought the latest model and the first few days were just like learning how to ride a bike. But now, ehem, I think I’ve got both wheels spinning.

6. On how one can get up on one’s feet again. This isn’t just a figure of speech, though I know of many emotionally-crippled people who were able to take the first steps towards healing and now are on the highway to recovery. But there are people, like a dear colleague, who had to learn to talk and walk again after a stroke. After a month in the ICU hooked on a respirator, he now can not only walk tall and fast again, he thinks and talks like he was never even sick. I credit this to his own strong will, the good calls his doctors made, the love and care of his family and God’s mercy.

7. On how we should always be prepared. The Bible admonishes us to be always ready (remember the passages about the “thief in the night” and the maidens who didn’t have enough oil in their lamps as they were waiting for the bridegroom that was long in coming?) and so do the Girl Scouts. Sendong perhaps would be the most effective teacher of this lesson, as it spawned flash floods that came like a thief in the night, when thousands were in deep slumber. We may not always have life rafts on standby, but our souls should always be tied to one. I guess every good deed and a clear conscience assure us of a trusty salbabida to heaven.

8. On how important it is to say thank you. To our loved ones, our helpers, our benefactors, our bosses, our God. They say every time a plane lands, a prayer is raised to God. How true, for after every happy landing, most of us say, quietly or not, “Thank God.”

Every new day is just like a plane that has landed. We have made it, safe and sound.

It’s always a time to say, “Thank God.”

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)