Firefly In July

The other day, I did something unintentional that alienated me from one that had been a silent observer of my domestic life for almost a decade.  The loss did not sink in instantly… it was later in the day, when it was becoming obviously uncomfortable that I began to feel the burden of the absence.  It was tough.  I could not sleep, even when I had something better to take its place, it was not the more practical choice.

It all started when I noticed its dreadful state early in the morning.  I had been willingly surrendering to languidity over the past few weeks, ignoring the slightest urge to give it just a bit of attention.   I’m guilty of being lazy.  That fateful day, it was hard to turn a blind eye any longer and so I decided, it was time to stretch these muscles and give our electric fan some tender loving care.  I swear, my intentions were good.  I was making up for all the times that I allowed it to waste away in dirt.  But then, the pampering turned out to be damaging…. all those years of prolonged inconsideration had made me unfamiliar of its weaknesses and in one  resounding snap , one of the blades cracked, broke, and detached from the rest of the big part.  I destroyed it!  My immediate thought was to put it back together with a strong adhesive, but the realization that its a useless attempt dawned when Mark explained I cant fix a fast spinning blade that way.  The broken piece may still fly off and hit me in the face.  Good point.  So, its gone.

I will miss our old electric fan, its low humming that lulled me to sleep, its uncomplaining labor even when forced to function the entire day.  It never failed to keep me company and comfortable amidst the tropic heat.

I know, this is absurd.  Holding a connection with a home appliance.  But 10 yrs is 10 yrs.  It may just be a thing, but when I look at its broken blade, I cant help but remember, it was here when Mark and I were just starting our lives together.  No, I wont be building a pedestal or a scupture, but definitely it will stay a bit longer even in its unfunctioning state.

This past Sunday, I participated in a Fun Run sponsored by the company for the benefit of World Vision.   The day started a bit gloomy, it was raining the night before and it looked like it will not ease up before the early morning’s run.  Fortunately it did, with just a slight drizzle when we got to the Rizal Stadium where the event was to be held.  There were not too many runners in sight, blame that from the ever unpredictable weather that, at the very last minute, decided to tease and mess with the event. After an hour of waiting, the sun finally showed its face and vanquished the dark clouds,  temporarily cooperating with the still sleepy runners .

We started out with a few minutes of warm up stretches, simple dance steps to add a twist, then we were off to the starting line.  For a long time, sitting in front of the computer, typing and browing for hours had been my most reliable form of exercise.  So, the first lap went by like eternity.  Midway, I was already feeling a stinging sensation in my ankles.  I would have dropped out if not for the constant urging of my race buddy.  I silently wondered, what got into me to get myself into this.  The seventh round was a struggle and not wanting to collapse on my face if I’d push myself any harder, I just walked all the way to the finish line.  It’s the cool down, my buddy murmurred consolingly.

I knew I’d be hurting for a few days after the run, and true enough, I’m still nursing my sore legs and walking in a weird way until now.  I wont be doing it again.. no, not for a very long time.  But I’m glad I did it, anyway.  The run was for a good cause and I have the certificate and the colored strings awarded at the end of each lap to show off to my friends.  That’s good enough for me.