Stealing time

“The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Buddha

First working Monday of the year and I groan, where did the vacay go? I feel like I need a vacay from the Christmas vacay. It's because when you're with family, especially if you're a woman of a certain age like I am (farther and farther from 58 and nearer 59), several roles are played simultaneously, sometimes strenuously: wife, mother, grandma. The last is the most fun because the strain is physical, and it provides all the exercise I need, including soul-boosting laughing breaks.

The next time I'll have for myself is in transit--when I move back to the world of work. During that trip to that world, I shall be a faceless passenger in the bus with lots of alone time. Then I'll get to know "youself" better again. It'll be fun, too.

The shadows on these stones depend on where the sun is at a certain time of day. Photo by Babeth Lolarga

His eyes, her eyes

I'm overdue for an eye check-up with an opthalmologist provided by my health card. In fact, if it weren't for errands in town, I'm going this morning--can't postpone it any longer.

The lightning-like flashes I'm experiencing within my right eye, clear signs of aging, according to a friend, set me on another course of thinking. How long will my right eye last?

Dad went blind in one eye and could only fathom light but continued his medical practice with the healthy one. It was a complication of diabetes, the family franchise. He had to give up driving though.

What will I have to give up in the future? Should I start studying Braille sometime in the next few weeks?

Meanwhile, here are shots of eyes, some blurred ones caused by movement on my part, that I took this past summer. They're objects in the house I sometimes call home. These eyes include: a pair painted in acrylic by Paolo Francisco, my fine arts classmate and sometime chum from UP Diliman before I continued my studies in Baguio; the laughing eyes of a Bacolod mask; the eyes of Rolly Fernandez from a portrait by Lyra Garcellano; and Buddha eyes to keep me calm and steady.

All photos by Babeth Lolarga