I am in the “middle ages”, as I refer to my current existence in this planet. It’s the few years after man’s life officially begins and a few moments before hitting the big 5-0. Personally, it seemed like nothing much has changed, my friends look the same, except for a “few” shifts in priorities and topics of conversation that include children (who are now in college or earning their wages and I wonder how that could have happened too quickly), investments, plastic surgery and hot flashes. Yes, nothing much has changed. In denial?
Maybe this is what happens when you have been with your friends for the longest time. All the way from school, to the corporate world, to married bliss and family life, I am aging with the same group of people, and gracefully I might add.
There might be an additional wrinkle in the forehead, a millimeter or two around the waste, a few more grey hairs, but these don’t matter much. What does is that through the years of encountering thousands of people, accumulating hundreds of acquaintances and adding a few more names to your friends list, I am proud to say that I have managed to keep the good ones. These are the people who matter, the ones I want to grow old with.
Did I choose them? For the “you can choose your friends” theory to work, they have to choose me to be their friend as well. I believe that friendship is pre-destined. It is never by chance that you meet a “bird with the same feather” and in time, it’ll be a flock. Perhaps like soul mates gathering.
I read once that, contrary to what most of us believe, each of us have more than one soul mate in a lifetime, and they don’t have to end up as the marital mates. Not one from my circle of good friends is a “mate”, but I consider them as all my lovers.
Lovers in the sense that these are the people who know of my mood swings, irrational behavior and irresponsible ways, put up with it and loved me anyway. It’s a tall order and I wonder how they managed.
Having all these “lovers” around me, I know I am never short of affection even with Cupid’s arrow missing the sweet spot. Sometimes I think my barrel of love is not sufficient enough for family and friends that if someone special turns up, there’s no spare in the cache to give. Or, is it that I pull out too little to give? Let me ponder on that thought.
In the meantime, let me tell you that love is all around me. For a couple of friends, Cupid seemed to be successful with hitting his target. For me, I had a couple of wonderful “big” dates in the month of love- one with my good friends and the other, with my family (with my mom’s siblings in the city),. More than mutual admiration and DNA, binding us was the love and appreciation for wonderful home-cooked food. A big thank you guys!
If this is what the end of the Mayan calendar brings, I like it so far.
For more lifestyle and travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/ and http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/
I read once that, contrary to what most of us believe, each of us have more than one soul mate in a lifetime, and they don’t have to end up as the marital mates. Not one from my circle of good friends is a “mate”, but I consider them as all my lovers.
Lovers in the sense that these are the people who know of my mood swings, irrational behavior and irresponsible ways, put up with it and loved me anyway. It’s a tall order and I wonder how they managed.
It’s the same tough job my family had to contend with. Unfortunately, it is true what the popular adage says- “one can’t choose family”. If there is one precious blessing I was granted with, it is having sprouted from a family tree filled with love. I will not even dare tarnish the good name I was bestowed with.
Having all these “lovers” around me, I know I am never short of affection even with Cupid’s arrow missing the sweet spot. Sometimes I think my barrel of love is not sufficient enough for family and friends that if someone special turns up, there’s no spare in the cache to give. Or, is it that I pull out too little to give? Let me ponder on that thought.
In the meantime, let me tell you that love is all around me. For a couple of friends, Cupid seemed to be successful with hitting his target. For me, I had a couple of wonderful “big” dates in the month of love- one with my good friends and the other, with my family (with my mom’s siblings in the city),. More than mutual admiration and DNA, binding us was the love and appreciation for wonderful home-cooked food. A big thank you guys!
If this is what the end of the Mayan calendar brings, I like it so far.
For more lifestyle and travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/ and http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/
Published in SunStar Davao on March 4, 2012.
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