The first day of the rest of your life

Today is the first day

Of the rest of my life

I wake as a child

To see the world begin...

— John Denver

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

That line, which I remember from a song we used to sing in grade school at the Assumption (and is also the title of a song by the late John Denver), is the essence of hope, and hope is that irresistible alarm clock that makes you spring out of bed in the morning.

As I begin the New Year with hope, I’d like to share 14 things that hopefully would make you feel like today is the first day of the rest of your life and “see the world begin.” So go light up the sparklers and revel in this brand new day.

1. Today is a blank slate where you can draw rainbows instead of lightning on your sky and flowers instead of twigs in your garden. Today is the day when you can change the things you can, and as the prayer of serenity goes, accept with grace the lightning and the twigs.

2. Today is the day when you can mold fresh clay and create something new in your life — be it a relationship or a Zen garden! You can be that clay, and in your hands lies the form that others see when they look at you.

3. Today is the day when you sweep away cobwebs from the recesses of every nook and cranny of your soul where ill feelings have been stored.

4. Today is the day you forgive, starting with forgiving yourself. Today is the day that you release yourself from grudges, because a grudge is the other person’s power over you, because you let him/her weigh heavily on your heart. Admit it, a grudge is a burden.

5. Today is the day you say sorry, because you “value the relationship more than you value your ego.”

6. Today is the day you resolve to do better, because yesterday is no longer yours and tomorrow is God’s.

7. Today is the day you seek to understand what people you don’t understand are going through. Or have been through.

8. Today is the day you get on a treadmill — for both a spiritual and physical workout.  You can go on a pilgrimage to holy shrines, for, in my personal experience, these visits invigorate you and reinforce your faith. And yet you can embark on the most life-altering pilgrimages by keeping still wherever you are, and by going on a voyage to the deepest part of your soul, where the silence speaks loudly to you.

9. Today is the day you “kiss the wind.” Today is the day you go outdoors and lift your face to the sky and thank God for the air you breathe and the wind beneath your wings.

10. Today is the day you put your shoulder to the wheel and move forward so that by the sweat of your brow you can achieve your dream.  Make that “dreams.” Leave the couches to throw pillows.

11. Today is the day you rid yourself of clutter — in your mind, your desk drawers, your closets. You make room for new blessings, new things. Or — you simply make room. In clean open spaces you can breathe more easily and see things in perspective.

12. Today is the day you start putting on sunblock — if there were a fountain of youth, a lot of dermatologists say it would spew sunblock. Today is the day you rub sunblock on your outlook in life, so you always see and do things with the wonderment of a child and the energy of a teenager.

13. Today is the day you give thanks, to your God, to all those who’ve made life good for you — your family, friends, colleagues, helpers, your public servants, your bank teller, your fortune teller, your security guard, your pets and your pet peeves.

Yes, give thanks for your pet peeves. The officemate who gossips, the envious rivals, the irate drivers, people who “get on your nerves.” Those you love teach you to be nice and those you don’t love teach you to be nicer. You are not being a hypocrite — you are simply trying to adjust to situations where not all the pieces fit, and so you become more adaptable and understanding.

Today is the day you thank God for the gift of being able to open your eyes to the light of a new day, a warm blanket on your shoulders, a roof over your head.

14. And today is the day you give not until it hurts — but until it hurts no more. Because the act of giving makes you feel so good, it becomes a privilege, and not a pain.

Happy New Year, everybody!

(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com.)

Time to say, ‘Thank you’

My husband Ed and I ended the year on a grateful note, not just because of the blessings we have received in 2013, but because our faith in the honesty of the Filipino was reinforced. Last Dec. 26, my husband had the batteries of three watches replaced, one of them an Omega. Then he went to National Book Store in Greenbelt 1 to buy some supplies and absent-mindedly put the paper bag with the watches on one counter. Then he passed by the vet to pick up a prescription for our beagle Scud, who was then very sick. Then he passed by the drugstore before heading home. It was only when he got home and unloaded all the stuff from his car (dog food, medicines, etc.) that he noticed the watches weren’t in any of the bags. He was sure he didn’t bring them to the vet, or to the drugstore. Then he remembered National Book Store. We Googled the branch’s phone number and immediately got through. After one sentence explaining what he left behind, Ed was immediately told by the NBS employee, “Sir, we found what you left behind! It’s with the lady guard.”

Talk about a sigh of relief! Ed virtually danced with joy, his bare wrists up in the air.

The next day, he claimed his prized paper bag. It was found by NBS’ Katherine de Vega, who tried to run after Ed after she found the bag, but lost him in the after-Christmas crowd in the busy bookstore.

If you see Ed nowadays always checking his watch, don’t worry. It reminds him of a time in his life to be truly grateful for.