Netnet Camomot .
CONSTRUCTION can be noisy but that’s the phase it has to pass through before reaching the next level.
The sounds of construction continue to live and kick in this neighborhood where at least four lots will soon have houses while one house is undergoing repairs.
On Saturday, I realized a backhoe is much noisier than a bagger mixer as the sound of the former drowned out that of the latter.
Lunchtime—12 noon to 1 pm—on weekdays and Saturdays is the only hour during the day that all is quiet once working hours for construction have begun in this corner of the barangay.
Sundays have always been my favorite time to do nothing, and now, it has become a welcome respite from the noise.
There’s a reason why Sunday is Sabbath day—so you can relax and reboot in preparation for the week ahead.
The seasons of the year also have their own rest days that allow you to reflect on your life’s past, present and future tenses. For me, these are Christmas and Holy Week. In case you haven’t noticed, these two cover Jesus’ birthday and crucifixion—birth and death are life’s points A and B.
While traveling to Valencia City, Bukidnon via Talakag several weekends ago, an engineer-friend noted the long and winding roads in some areas and how the government could have simplified the highway by carving a straight line through hills and mountains. That would have benefited all with shorter travel time plus savings on fuel costs and less wear and tear on vehicles. But the Department of Public Works and Highways surely has a list of valid reasons for the long and winding roads otherwise they would have preferred a straight line, too.
Life can also never follow a straight line from A to B, with all its detours, twists and turns. Sometimes it’s like that male driver who’s too proud to ask for directions and ends up lost in Never Never Land.
Christmas and Holy Week can be the most appropriate seasons to ask for directions. For guidance. For enlightenment. For peace of mind.
But amidst the shopping in Christmas and the vacations during Holy Week, where, when and how could one find the time to reflect?
A revelation on Dec. 17, 2015 did force me to reflect deeply in time for the holidays then, and that resulted to a shorter Christmas list which now requires less shopping—that’s one of its blessings in disguise. Still, December remains the busiest month of the year.
Taking the time to reflect can be a challenge especially with the backhoe and bagger mixer as the neighborhood’s Christmas choir although we do welcome the progress here—more neighbors. Yay.
Other Catholics visit retreat houses and monasteries for their annual getting-away-from-it-all. If ever I’ll join them in the future, that can only mean I’ve decided to become a nun, that is, if there’s a congregation willing to take the risk of accepting me. Haha!
A Cebu trip always includes church visits, complete with listing down petitions. While reviewing a list for one of those visits last month, I realized each item was somehow connected with money, and I imagined Tito Lolong—Msgr. Teofilo Camomot—telling me, Unsa man ni, Dai, kuarta man tanan imong gipangayo. Oh, my. Naulaw ko’g kalit.
A prayer should include a petition for strength to have total acceptance. Sh*t happens all the time and if one can’t accept his reality, he won’t be able to find solutions and move forward from there.
The backhoe next door is now digging the future house’s foundation holes and the noise is, well, tolerable. And that noise could be its only negative side since it’s a huge help in construction work.
Other things and possessions, however, have pros and cons, with money, for example, being considered as evil when it’s used to destroy others.
It’s money that buys materials for the construction of houses but it can destroy a home if it’s the only thing that controls the family.
A career is a good source of income until the pressure and stress cause the employee’s health to deteriorate.
A hobby is a great way to relax unless it’s collecting books that are now gathering dust inside cabinets since the bookworm would rather check out Facebook and watch movies. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.
Yes, it’s like two sides to every story, and hopefully you’re listening to the truth and not the lies.
Meanwhile, I’m looking at two construction sites daily from the room with a view and this has made me aware of the time, talent and treasure that a house needs while it’s being built.
A finished house, on the other hand, is kind of a spectator sport—you have no idea what its residents went through before they could move in.
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