Charmed Life by Gretheline Bolandrina

No questions asked that is truly a Salvador Dali statement. How bold, not about being Salvador Dali but about each morning when he wakes! Admittedly, I am not a morning person. My early recollection of being woken up for school was to the sound of my Dad's voice chanting, "rise and shine". I do not, however, “rise and shine”, I do more of a, “roll over and grumble”. Somehow, I do make it to the shower but all actions to this point are rote, as in memory, habit. I don’t exactly come to completely, until I’ve had my cup of tea (with milk, hold the sugar) preferably in a Japanese tea cup, you know, the kind without a handle. So I could feel the warmth of my drink with my hands before I put it on my lips. I love to feel the warmth against my cheek especially during the cold New England winter. Then, as in the true “American Dream” fashion, the real life that is, we hit the ground running. On the days that I work (Mondays and Wednesdays) as a regular nurse, I’m out of the house by 6:15 AM at the latest. Jesi and Gino, both being in High School are out the door next, catching their school bus down the end of our street. I know Jesi drinks instant breakfast while Gino makes funky food creations even that early in the morning. Hubby is out next. He rarely eats breakfast at home on the weekdays. He pretty much hits the drive thru window on DD, as in “America runs on DD”. Lilly has it great, Grandma Lel usually makes her sit down and eat a real breakfast and they both take their sweet time walking down the street to meet Bus # 2. Last but not the least, little Max has it best. He usually eats rice and soup for breakfast! True Pinoy. He also loves fried eggs.

On the days that I am not scheduled to work, I sort of “come to life/regain consciousness”, several times before finally, completely waking up. Ever heard of being wakened every morning simply for the pleasure of being told it was not yet time to get up? Weird as it sounds, that applies to me. I hear faint voices saying, “love you, bye!” from Jesi and Gino as they leave. Joe would pull the shades up in our room, give me a kiss and still tuck me in bed. Then I hear doors open and shut close. Mid morning, when I am done sleeping is when I do get up, refreshed and ready to face the world. Happiness in the summer is coming out of the shower, donning a sundress and not even needing to blow dry my hair. There’s joy in walking around in flip-flops all day. In the fall, waking up to the glorious burst of colors outside my window is enough to get me jump started for the day. In the spring with buds peeping and robins singing is how I always want my day to begin. The cold of winter is easy enough to battle, just bundle up and again, my good old cup of tea. Remember to say a little prayer, to start your day off right, however/whoever you perceive (your) god to be. Expect goodness, good will come your way. Believe in the universe. Surely as the sun sets, it will shine again and again. However you want to start your day keep in mind, as Salvador Dali had so exulted, it is another chance to re-experience the pleasure of being you, another chance at making things right, another chance at making wonderful choices. As for me, another “take” on a Charmed Life.

Feel free to e-mail me reactions, comments and or suggestions for ideas to ponder. Contact me at Gretheline@aol.com or through Carousel Productions.