‘Childs play’

As Filipinos approach their sixth month under various types of Community Quarantine, I have observed a number of people ages 40 and above slowly but surely going back to their childhood activities or going back to hobbies and interests once put on hold by the demands of careers or grown-up lifestyle. No one as of yet have gone to fly a kite, but a number of them have started taking their street bikes or mountain bikes for a spin and before you know it, they’re already bragging just like when they were kids that they’re the king of the hill just because they can still pedal their way up the steep inclines at the Cultural Center driveway, power pedal around the ULTRA/ Phil-Sports Arena or somewhere in Subic or Tagaytay. Those who unfortunately “crash and burn” at the turns, console themselves by showing off their wounds  and post them on Facebook, just like when we proudly showed our wounds to our parents while telling them we did not cry.

Perhaps this was part of God’s design after all. “Trapped” or locked down at home with the kids or by ourselves, many grown ups are giving themselves permission to be “Kids” again, to get into the “Childhood” hobbies or interests they could not do for one reason or another. More often than not, it was work and the so-called grown up stuff or concerns that stopped us. We were too busy being busy and trying hard to earn more, make more, and acquire more. Ironically it was not the stuff that really spoke to our hearts. The world told us that financial security lay in having a fat bank account, investments such as condominiums etc. and the true measure of achievement was through careers and promotions. Well Covid-19 shot all of that down. We’ve all been grounded in one form or another and boredom, not some lifestyle coach or guru, has magically helped many of us get in touch with our true selves.

At the early stages of the Quarantine, people turned to baking, cooking and organizing kitchen commissaries in the belief they could turn it into a business. People can only cook so much, and people can only eat so much, so many of those kitchens eventually folded up. A friend of mine has reduced his posts on fine dining techniques and now shares more photos of spending time with the locals on an island, buying native produce or going on banca trips or mountain bike runs.

For many years I’ve been advising, actually pestering, an older gentleman who spent most of his adult life building up car brands and promoting luxury vehicles to slow down or get out of the business. The stress and the pressure was just so much and he was visibly unhappy. Well, being a senior citizen, he found his movements restricted as a result of Covid-19. But it was while he was stuck at home that he suddenly had so much time to notice his surroundings, his property and all the stuff that was never attended to or acted on. The guy loves to build, loves gardening and being in a garden and he clearly loves all types of pets just like his grandchildren. Slowly but surely, the kid in him started to step out and dabble with plants, kois or exotic Japanese carp. Before he knew it, he had a gazebo, an improved koi pond, a sprinkling of fruit and vegetable plantings. We actually spent a couple of hours sitting in front of tubs of fingerlings in my garage as he picked out a few he wanted to take home. There were no fancy cars, leather seats or phones constantly ringing. Just two “kids” looking at fish and imagining that one day these little fish will grow into beautiful living art to watch.

While I have rekindled my interests in aquariums and fish, the little boy in me is into building, creating and making things look nicer. I really am a builder and during Covid quarantine, I did not buy those toy sets consisting of tools or carpentry set. No I brought out the professional stuff for my amateur work. I gave my self permission to construct things, like a huge “walk-in” sized clothes cabinet, I gave myself permission to learn how to do electric welding on my own, I forced myself to fulfill my longstanding declaration that I will put up a legitimate roof-garden. This week, I embarked on what I thought would be considered an insane idea by some; I decided to redo our concrete garage floor by making squares, chiseling slots and inserting tiles with “vintage” designs all by myself.

Cutting concrete squares with a grinder is scary, dusty, asthma inducing work. It took me an hour to hand-chisel each slot, it was backbreaking work and your hands hurt later. But, it was very satisfying to see things come out exactly the way you envisioned it. Fellow columnist Boo Chanco commented: “Are you planning on building a cathedral?” That and the approval of my wife told the little boy in me that it was OK for me to carry on “playing”. Since my first block of tiles, I have relearned to use a vacuum cleaner and an electric power hammer that chips away at the concrete! You either play with power tools or throw away a month of your life.

On the outside most of us will see grown men and women doing hobbies or renovations and repairs. But when we see what the Lord sees we realize that what the devil meant for harm, the Lord has turned into good. He has helped us to reconnect with the child within and it is only when we are like little children that we get to see a patch of heaven on earth. Have fun kids!

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