Young Once

Today’s Gospel at Sunday Mass reminds us that the child-like and humble is the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Much as I reflected on the proper metaphor, it also reminded me of my biological age.

Getting on in age just sort of creeps up on you.

Not that I already belong to the league of senior citizens, much very far from it, but I guess it depends on how you describe ‘far’.

In my case there’s the patch of white hair nearest the forehead. It just so happens that the white hair seemed to congregate in that area, giving it some sort of fashionable streak which I have seen among the young people, and so I didn’t consider having it dyed. When someone ribs me on it I just smugly say it’s some sort of ‘Richard Gere’ look, in case they didn’t notice.

The eyesight I can get along with. I bought a bunch of cheap reading glasses which I scattered around the house so that I can manage to read anywhere within. I am considering buying more, since I can’t remember where I placed some of them.

The pain on the underside of the left foot is something else though, although it occurs very rarely. Recently (after the holidays), it suddenly announced itself after waking up early in the morning. There’s my painful lesson. I threw caution to the winds during the holidays by not watching my diet, since it was once-a-year holidays anyway and there was plentiful sumptuous food all over the many Christmas parties I attended. Wincing while walking, the embarrassment doubles the pain because almost everybody who notices automatically kids me on rheumatism, while I am in a state of vigorous denial. I remembered to take a herbal cure one of my older friends advised : ‘buto ng malunggay’. It worked miraculously. The only problem in that it transferred higher upwards to the knee. It’s a blessing my car had automatic transmission, as I went to a real doctor the same day and now it is mercifully gone.

I know I should take some exercise along with watching the diet. A few swings at the golf driving range once in a while will probably do the trick.

All of which reminds me of that story of two senior citizens playing golf. After hitting the ball, the first one said:”Did you see where the ball went?” The second one said : “Yup, but I can’t remember!”.