By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
(Nothing serious to say today so please indulge me one more time as I share this Facebook post marking my 60th birthday last March 1.)
Let me begin by saying that my heart was warmed by the flood of greetings and Likes on Facebook when I hit 60 on March 1. I did not expect that there would be so many friends who are happy I have come to the late afternoon of my stay on earth where they could now freely call me Lakay Estan (old man Estan). Kidding aside, your taking the trouble to greet me or clicking the Like button on the posts of those who did eased the discomfort of the passage.
Now to the heart of the matter, I wrote a sort of a doggerel on my turning 25 on March 1, 1982 titled “Twenty-five and nothing” the gist of which was that I had nothing to show for the 25 years in terms of accomplishments, that my life had no direction, that my days were spent in the never ending but vain pursuit of happiness through drinks and the company of friends.
I am happy to report that the 35 years since then were better spent by comparison. While it is true that had I the power to go back and do things over again, I would have done many things differently, on the whole, I am content with how my first 60 years on earth have turned out.
While I am not rich and could not buy all the things I wish for or even some of the things I have genuine need of, the family is not destitute either. There is a reliable shelter over our heads, the kids did not have to reprise the money-related difficulties of their parents while studying, we could go on vacation once in a while and could set aside a little against the rainy day.
While the big dreams I entertained while training to be journalist at the Manuel L. Quezon University during my youth were promptly exposed to be beyond my writing talent, my journalistic/writing preparations were not entirely wasted. I am sure no brows would rise if I am introduced as a journalist albeit just in the Cordillera. I am also sure that nobody could dispute my claim that I am the most productive letter to the editor writer in the region at the moment which I believe entitles me to the epitaph “Man of letters” when my time comes. Needless to say, that is in the literal sense. Still in relation to writing, if there is a contest for the wackiest Facebook Wall in the region, I would like to enter mine.
And yes, the writing talent and skills have given me a unique place in government service and the cooperative sector. As a government information officer, I would like to believe I have researched and written a number of articles that are useful to the people of Tabuk City of this generation and of those to come.
And of course, although the three members of my family do not hesitate to raise their voices at me and my days are replete with their chiding, I would like to believe that as a father and husband, I am not a failure. I noticed that on my 60th birthday, Pia and Aglaia unexpectedly allowed as much on Facebook which of course, made all the years of doggedly trying to be a good father worth it. Yes, of all accomplishments I have been able to pull off in my life, my contribution to the formation of the two children God has entrusted to us into useful, responsible and respectable individuals gives me the most satisfaction.
All these would not have been possible if not for the grace of God all throughout those 60 years. To shorten this litany, let me just point out two crucial instances which proves that God was and is interested in what happens to me. First, He allowed the circumstances which made me discover that writing is my vocation and likewise led me back to Kalinga which without a shadow of doubt is where I should spend my life and serve.
Second, He rescued me from my self-destructive tendencies and life of dissipation by giving me a stern wife, who fills my utter lack of talent on the practical side of life, a home manager and mother of no mean abilities. I attribute her coming into my life as a direct act of God because the way I was at that time, no woman in her right senses would have wanted me. I had no direction in life, was a certified drunk and was jobless. Turning my life around was a challenge Florence took seriously and she never stopped until it was done. One scene that will stick to my mind until my dying day was how at one time she suddenly appeared in the gambling den, seized the cards and tore them to pieces.
I am a dyed in the wool believer of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The belief is based on my own experience.
Friends, that’s all there is to my 60 years but unlike with my report card in 1982, I am happy and content with this one.**
