He comes by every year as scheduled, lugging behind a ragtag collection of stories and accounts about the year that was, and he then slides back in my head. My very own dependable virtual calendar man slash conscience slash historian, waking me up to just to remind me it’s my birthday.
Especially when one is 65, it’s nobody’s business if one suddenly prefers to assign specific chores for each personality that lives inside your head. That’s a license you can now afford. I haven’t gotten around to giving them names yet, but i am sure they know who they are. Just kidding of course, this oldie is not going loony yet, (though now, i do not really care what you think.)
65 after all, is 65. It’s never going to be 64 or 24. However, as some always like to say, as time is nothing but a construct, why can’t we all just be ageless inside your head? An advantage to having this mindset is you can adopt more excitable approaches when you’re just sitting back and trying to reminisce whatever has crossed under your bridge.
In comparison to any 65er who is just contented to sit like a rock or a duck sitting dead in the water, being active mentally is definitely a move in the positive direction. I for one always make sure to cap my daydreams in HD quality and as much as possible, lace them with appropriate soundtracks. True, others might not get a hint at what one is thinking but a smile on your lips will reassure them nevertheless that you’re just fine where you are.
Still, at this stage, peace and quiet also become one’s best friends; acting as prerequisites if one is to pursue an active mind. Be sure to read a lot, and write a lot, because as one of my classmates had said, it prevents forgetfulness, lapses in memory or worse, Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t remember when he said that, but nonetheless, there is truth in the saying an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
But enough of all that, the reality still stares one in the face, that even millennials will agree and say, old is old. At this, you can categorically agree that yup, your cup runneth over. In terms of experience, you might have more than what you already need and it’s only the basic and simpler things that remain essential. However, whether one likes to or not, the journey is still not over and the horizon is still at Ilustre street, or far away.
This reminds me of the many ways people tell a jeepney driver that they intend to get off. There are some who whistle, holler or in a normal voice say, “para!,” as this is the most acceptable. With regard to the latter however, in the case that you are not heard by the driver, always expect other passengers to promptly relay your intention to him. Meanwhile, there are also some passengers who prefer to knock on the railings or wherever, with an either a coin or their knuckles.
With oh so many ways to stop a jeepney, I just wish that this life’s ride can be as simple as that. Is there a pause button somewhere that I still have to discover? A pit stop of sorts would be swell indeed, for me to turn on my HD daydreams and cap them with some acoustic blues. But no, grin and bear it seems to be the norm and one is in this ride for the whole duration. Who am I to complain? Luckily, they have invented earphones. As I’ll lay back to enjoy this journey further. In all, my year at 64 had generally been a good year as all the years before. Many precious ones may have left me, departing at earlier stations, but they remain part of my trying-to-be-active mind. Already, it is fast-forwarding everything because it can’t wait. It’s is already racing up to route 66.
