A DAY IN THE LIFE
OF AN OCTOGENARIAN
Moving
away from the Bay Area (we lived in Daly City for 27 years to be close to
Chita’s place of work as accountant) in 2008 to Sacramento was a very good
decision. First off, we are both retired
and cost of living in Daly City is high as in most Bay Area places for it is
close to San Francisco a major tourist destination, once the number one in the
world!
After
seven years living here we have come to enjoy many unforeseen and unexpected
good things that many retired people look forward to. So, today I have deiced to compile the good
points which I term to be factors towards our “happiness and contentment”.
Waking
up to a sunny and slightly cool morning even though it is still summer (and
California is always sunny which can be a problem if ran does not come soon) I
look up at the ceiling of our bedroom and see some slits of sunlight that comes
through blinds and then I say a prayer of thanks for another day in my
life. Getting up slowly, I remove my
bipap machine (I suffer from sleep apnea and I have to use this mask that transports
air through my nostrils down my throat passing the uvula) and again thank the
good Lord I have no aches and pains on my legs and ankles and therefore I can
walk a bit faster today.
Chita
has also risen by now and is busy preparing our breakfast which consists of
bread and some jams or depending on our mood, fried rice, egg and bacon. But this morning we opt for a lighter fare
for at lunch we will enjoy a slightly heavy meal and dinner will definitely be very
light.
If it
is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday my schedule of meals would be a light
breakfast, moderate lunch and a sandwich for dinner (which is after my three
hour session at the dialysis center). I must always watch my fluid intake for
it is important I stick to about the equivalent of 3 plastic water bottles each
day.
As we
drive out of our rented but gated apartment complex I am often glad to see no
vehicles on the road for aside from the rush hour hardly any road traffic
exists for we are in a small town atmosphere. Imagine a state capital,
Sacramento, which is the capital of California appearing like a small town!
That is what we all love rare to hear the roar of car engines and…noise is
minimal or none at all. Cruising at country
speed (which is between 30-40 mph) we head for our parish St. Clare Catholic
Church 15 minutes away. We do this on a daily basis and we love it. By now we have made lots of friends with the Caucasians
and especially the Filipinos and Indians.
We socialize often with the Filipinos during special occasions like
baptisms, wedding anniversaries and birthdays (lots of this). We consider St.
Clare our second home.
Tony
has a third home – the dialysis center where he goes MWF. By now he has been on dialysis for 16 months,
and he knows all of the technicians and nurses who are all very warm and
friendly but professional in their behavior.
Two
years ago Tony suffered from internal hemorrhage and had to be rushed to
hospital. Luckily he got there in due time and after two days in ICU was back
home but had to undergo rehab which included his indoor and walking exercises
to bring back the strength of his limbs.
At the same time he began his dialysis which was a bit strict at first
but later relaxed and now I am enjoying the procedure for has has put on weight
and feels great as he himself states.
When we
feel like taking in gourmet meal which Chita is expert in finding out in
Sacramento we go and make it a lunch with or without some friends. A part of our enjoyment perhaps as one living
in America is that unlike war torn places today in the world, we to not fear
that while we are eating our place would be bombed by terrorists. When we shop around we know that the shops will
not just erupt into shootings (although we did have sporadic shootings in
schools and stores but they came very rare).
And
when we go back to our parked cars after a meal or shopping we are confident
that no one has rigged the car with a bomb which would explode once I turn the
ignition on!
One
good fortune I enjoy is the fact quite accidentally that happened when we moved
in to Sacramento. Fist to move were our
two children, Bobby and Gina in their respect homes years before Chita
retired. Once we arrived a sister of
hers also moved in to join what I call our “network”. And this has worked well
whenever we need help from one or another. Chita is an excellent chef and she
enjoys cooking favorite dishes of our children, she is able to share them with
Bob and Gina who either come over to pick up their portions or just join us at
mealtime. The same goes for Lita who
works and has little time to cook. Chita shares a portion for Lita to take home
to her apartment where her husband Cris lives. And they live just five minutes
away from us.
It is heartwarming
to always realize today that our five children are happily well situated with
good paying jobs which they love and houses of their own and doing well during their leisure when other Filipinos
who have come to settle and work are there to share their leisure moments
happily.
Whenever
we have a visiting “fireman or firemen” from Manila or just somewhere in
California, we make sure they come and enjoy our company and of course our
social moments. We usually find one who
can pick them up from the San Francisco or Sacramento airport to ferry them
here with us. Once with us the person is
a relative usually stays in one of the houses like that of Bob or Gina where
they always have an extra bedroom for guests.
And since our place is strategically placed driving wise to entertainment
places our guests have a choice of Lake Tahoe, Reno, or three gambling places
not far to drive to like Thunder Valley Casino, Cash Creek Casino, and Red Hawk
Casino (all owned and managed by American Indian tribes). The closets to our place is Thunder Valley
about 20 minutes one way. We have tried their buffet features often as well as
their quality Chinese restaurant where we go for excellent dim sum and
congees! Or those willing to really
shop, we drive to Vacaville about one hour away where factory outlets galore
sell very low prices but good quality products.
In my
twilight years with the surprising energy I still have I continue to write
reflections and biographies (about friends as well as commissioned ones). Once in a while I am invited to speak on
subjects like HOW TO WRITE YOUR MEMOIR or as in the coming months about my
country THE PHILIPINES. Most of my audience is old Sacramento Caucasians, many
of whom have not even left California in their entire lives.
Every
year or so we manage to visit the Philippines and see our relatives there, as
well as enjoy many goodies we cannot enjoy here in Sacramento such as
Philippine fruits and delicacies which we do miss a lot. Over the years we were able to join ocean
cruises outside the U.S.
At
sundown, having had a relaxing and happy day, we drive home moderately, and
park in our designated slot (strangers who park are towed and they are charged
for it) which we have occupied for many years now as one rightful slot as
apartment dwellers of Antelope Vista a gated community. Depending on how I
feel, I take a jigger of brandy or two just before bedtime. That serves as my
nightcap before I brush my teeth and perform my ablution before sleeping. I gulp my set of pills and then hit the hay.
If and
when we like to watch a movie we go whenever there is a senior discount for tickets.
Once inside we can decide to see more than one depending on our energy and eyesight
for one ticket. When we do not feel like going to a theatre we watch good movies
on TV through a channel service called NETFLIX which we watch in our huge bedroom
TV monitor that show high definition images…until we fall asleep!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
1 Comments:
My name is Hari Bayani. My mother, Rose Birco studied drama under Sarah Joaquin at Far Eastern University and was involved in several of Mrs. Joaquin's productions. My mom's family was also friends with Nick Joaquin, who wrote an article on my uncle, Jose Birco, who died in the Vietnam War. I would love to show you photos of my mom and Sarah Joaquin, as well as the article Nick Joaquin wrote.
Sincerely,
Hari
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