Thoughts on an FB Reel

Thoughts on an FB Reel

Flooding my FB lately are reels of past artistas visiting the wake of recently departed colleague or their family. Like many others watching those seconds-long videos, I suddenly found myself flooded with thoughts and memories from the past, with the resulting emotions being a mixed bag, a whirlwind.

If not for the captions, I would not be able to guess who those familiar faces were of my childhood: Celia Rodriquez, Daisy Romualdez, Dina Bonnevie, Lotlot de Leon, Ramon Christopher, Azenith Briones, Marissa Delgado, Nova Villa, Helen Gamboa, Perla Bautista... I haven't seen them for an eternity, so I was happy to see them once again in one place, with some still looking good like a well-preserved museum specimen, with others not so much. It reminded me of the fickleness of time and the volatility of fate, how you can be superstar one minute and be 'nobody' really quick the next (in the world's estimation, that is).

Then I wondered how they were all doing, how they were getting by, now that they are all replaced by young ones in an industry that spares no one, offers no social security or security of tenure, ever-ready to discard you like yesterday's underwear the moment you are past your "sell by" date. How do they keep their sense of equilibrium in such an ungrateful, capricious world?

If they were only as good as their last performance, how does their 'center' hold so to speak? Good for them who had the foresight and are able to provide for themselves under the shadow of their charmed existence, but what about the others? What about those who didn't show up?

Then I thought of how growing gray hair, getting bent with your wrinkly bits here and there sagging, obsolescence, and death are inevitable.

Good thing there's such a thing as scrolling past unwanted thoughts on social media.

What was I thinking when I opted to dwell on those moving images? Next reel, please!