January 26, 2010 – The sky is overcast in the valley, sending signals that soon there will be rain. If and when it rains, it will be a stark contrast to the past 2 days when the sun shone, giving Los Angelenos a respite from many days of downpour that sent Southern California reeling from mudslides, potholes, floods and accidents on the freeways.
This morning, I woke up to a quiet house bereft of the usual hustle and bustle of rushed activities. My oldest son, Trig went off to explore a teaching opportunity, my youngest son, Clint is asleep from an arduous catering gig for the recent SAG awards night, Carla (my darling soon-to-be daughter in law) has ended her vacation and gone home to her mom, the screaming of grandkids has stopped just as if they followed the lead of a baton, the phone calls regarding the Cory Aquino commemorative mass have ceased.
Whoever thinks that retirement makes one sit around doing nothing, has another guess coming. I am busier now and my pace has doubled in the delicious discovery that nay, nope, not true that one gets bored because in fact, there is a whole new exciting world after retirement.
I am discovering me, just plain me, stripped of being responsible for 170 staff members and able to thoroughly enjoy a restful weekend with college, old buddies.
I am discovering that there is life after corporate meetings, technology driven projects, and power dressing. I am discovering that in addition to the familiar haunts and old buddies, there are many interesting new and distinguished friends that have given color to life at ummmmm….65. My life has bloomed and expanded positively to horizons that were left untapped for a long, long time. I am also discovering that life is a peach, and thank God that we have it!!
Over the rainy days, I spent a restful weekend with college girl friends at the lovely hill top home of Myrna Meek in Riverside, California. It was during this trip that I stumbled into an interesting book by M.J. Ryan, titled "Attitudes of Gratitude". It was a purchase of whim, though the title intrigued me with that oh-so familiar word gratitude. For a fleeting moment, the book reminded me that I have an innate characteristic of gratitude; as most of us do.
So, on this sunny-soon-to rain day of January 26, 2010, I was inspired to send my close friends, (and now the Asian Journal readers), the following quotes from the book:
"Life will bring you pain, your responsibility is to create joy"…Milton Erickson M.D.
The simple joy of living from a grateful heart; "If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled, if your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself, be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are, when you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you"…Lao Tzu
"The longer I live, the more I recognize that cultivating an attitude of gratitude is the key to living from an open heart, that is, living in a spirit of joyful expectation; all you need is to use it and the world is suddenly transformed into a beautiful wonderland".
"The more you help your children to focus on what they appreciate about themselves and those around them, the more they will overflow with optimism, hopefulness and joy. Each night when you put them to bed, spend at least 3 minutes of private time, and ask them to tell you what they did that they appreciate themselves for, and one thing someone did that they are thankful for". Side note: Teaching the young ones gratitude.
"Let gratitude flow naturally. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way at looking at things"…Henry Miller
"Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one gets rich"…Sarah Bernhardt.
I leave you with personal reflections from friends who responded to me with the following quotes:
As the poet says, "Come grow old with me, the best is yet to come"…Loida Nicolas Lewis
"I think it was Schweitzer who said something like; sometimes your own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. You have done that very thing; given me cause for thanksgiving for old friends like you and new friends like Vikki and Myrna"…Ligaya Delgado Sublett
"I love your thoughts, I now have to think like this"…Aida Bustos Valencia
"Gratitude comes from an open heart, as wide as the world, if the heart is narrow, one feels entitled to be served, noticed and attended to. Instead you are grateful, you serve and you bring joy"… Prosy Delacruz.
Finally, it is serendipitous that through my friendship with Prosy Delacruz, these reflections of inner thoughts reached the owner and publisher of Asian Journal, Cora Oriel. She wrote back aptly titling her response, "With Gratitude". She said, "You can never underestimate the power of the pen. It can yield pain or it can lift a sagging spirit or help soothe an aching heart. I should thank you and Prosy for giving us an opportunity to share your beautiful message to your close friends and the rest of the community".
Have a happy life everyone!
