Letters to Marge & Maddie: Chapter 54 (Hello from my quiet little corner...)

 

Hi, guys.

As I begin writing this now, August 16, 2020, I mark the 17^th night that I am alone here at our house in Baguio.

Hello, Maddie. At this point, Mommy actually already told Achie Marge lots of grown-up things about the family. Sorry, but there’s a huge difference about what you will get or understand between 7 years old and 12. So eventually, you will be told the stories, too.

So yes, I am up here, and you guys are down there. And I am kind of sad, kind of lonely. But trying to be as happily distracted as possible. Right now, Im toggling between a nice sci-fi movie called Arrival, and little knick knacks I find on Youtube, from nice saxophone videos, to a few videos of a local singer named Morissette Amon. By the time you read this, I’m not sure whether or not she will still be making music. But thank heavens for the internet, her performances should still be accessible one way or another. You guys should check her out. By now, you guys have prayed with me on video call, said good night, and hopefully drifting off in some nice colorful dreams. Your mom just sent me screenshots of her and her friends on a video group chat.

I meant to write about far more interesting things tonight like life, and how we perceive its length, its value and some such. The movie Arrival sort of tackles that, too. Which is why I stopped watching, and starting writing this entry. And then I proceeded to search about average life spans of animals. Hoping to find some connection between how lives can be meaningful regardless of how long or how short. Like how butterflies generally live an average of two weeks.

No. Thankfully, no one in our little family is dying right now. At least not that we know of. But I just found myself thinking about it. Partly because of the movie I started (which I’ve seen numerous times before), and because of all the crazy stuff happening in the world right now.

So many people getting sick and dying. Yes, many due to Covid-19, and others probably due to complications aggravated by isolation, lack of access to fresh air and sunlight, or probably dozens and maybe even hundreds of other factors. So many businesses struggling, or simply just closing down. So many things that make us human getting lost on the waysides, because of the struggle of mankind at large to simply survive.

This year, 2020 was supposed to be another great one for our family. We had a trip to Spain booked and all, supposedly a trip to Bali with the rest of the extended family, your mom and I had our 20^th anniversary trip to Japan also booked, and those were just the international trips. Who only knows what else we could have come up with?

Achie also had her grade school graduation first postponed, then ultimately cancelled and moved into some group chat affair. Mommy wanted to make more food ideas to sell, Shobe was going to study more violin and ballet, and so many other things for all of us.

But… well, pretty much all the world’s plans all got put on hold.

Anyway, I will need to post this before I ramble on too much further and end up totally failing to put this up at all.

’catch you later.

Love,

Dad