Deep why

A SIP of tequila—yes, a sip, not even a shot—and beer on the rocks are the senior moment’s version of nightlife.

I’ve reached that age where a bar would give me coffee instead of alcohol, perhaps afraid to worsen my comorbidities. Haha.

As if needing more reminders for reaching a certain age, the San Mig Apple I ordered was not chilled, so I poured it into a glass filled with ice which made it taste like bitter halo-halo. Or affogato but with ice instead of vanilla gelato, and beer instead of espresso.

After gulping down the watered-down beer at the KTV bar, the next stop was the bar next door, the one that offered us coffee a few weeks ago. This time they didn’t offer coffee anymore, and they let us be as we listened to their EDM playlist. Which was a refreshing change after listening to our own voices singing Rick Astley songs: “Never gonna give you up/Never gonna let you down/Never gonna run around and desert you/Never gonna make you cry/Never gonna say goodbye/Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” Which could be a political candidate’s campaign mantra for this year’s barangay and Sangguning Kabataan elections.

There was a time when we could mix drinks—tequila, vodka, beer—and still manage not to fall down the stairs from the upper-floor bar. Now, we have learned to stick to a bottle of SML for an entire evening of drinking. Ho-hum. To avoid feeling bad about this self-imposed limit, imagine being a student on a tight budget, having only one cup of coffee at a donut shop.

Low-carbers, though, can’t indulge in alcoholic drinks anymore, and their coffee has restrictions: cream, no creamer; artificial sweetener, no sugar or honey. But they can have pulutan: lechon, steaks, liempo, lechon kawali, and crispy pata. Ease the umay by having boiled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, or omelet. Veggies, fruits, and nuts have oxalates, so, some low-carbers are avoiding them with as much passion as their commitment to avoid rice, bread, potatoes, root crops, sugar, etc.

Christmas was the most challenging season for low-carbers as the buffet had rice, macaroni salad, spaghetti, fruit cake, and fruit salad. The body pains came back along with high blood pressure, sinusitis, brain fog, headaches, bloating, stomach aches, diarrhea, and diabetes. That’s why low-carb doctors and coaches constantly remind low-carbers always to remember their deep why. If their only aim is weight loss, it’s tempting to return to high-carb once the goal weight is achieved.

It’s much like the reason for leaving a relationship. For sure it wasn’t only because you wanted to emulate Ellen Adarna: “I just left, gwapa ko.” Perhaps he used, misused, and abused you. You have to always remember that deep why (not deep throat) otherwise you’ll welcome him again with open arms (and legs). Or, if not him, there will be another abusive relationship with someone else because you want to have a date on Valentine’s Day.

In case you want to drown your sorrows, here’s Annie Lennox to rub it all in: “No more I love you’s/The language is leaving me/No more I love you’s/The language is leaving me in silence/No more I love you’s/Changes are shifting outside the words.”

This saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Meaning, when the student is not ready, that teacher, in the form of painful experiences, will appear again and again. Choose to learn the lesson now.