Outdoorsy

The ground floor of the office was jam-packed. There was an ocean of faces most, of which I have seen for the first time. Most of the people were standing since the limited space could only offer limited number of seats yet everyone was clearly anticipating for the afternoon’s affair to start. As I went pass through the pensioners, there were some that greeted and waved at me. I was trying to recall from where have I met the enthusiastic faces that welcomed me. However hard I tried plus the fact that I meet so many people at work every single day, I could no longer remember our first meeting. Being the “polite person” that I am (Isko would rather call me pulitiko than polite), I waved backed at them and greeted them with my nicest hello.

After exerting effort just to get through the crowd, I was finally standing in front of close to 200 individuals. It was not the biggest crowd I have hosted for. In fact, it was one of the smallest. If I hold on to my previous experiences, entertaining those people would have been a piece of cake but it was the first time for me to be doing a stint with mostly old people in my audience. I was truly nervous. I did not know what to expect making it impossible for me to prepare contingency plans. Just before I started, I prayed that my wit and charm (yeah, I have that at times) would be enough to get me through the entire program.

With the usual lines, I welcomed everyone to the annual celebration of the Pensioners’ Day. I must admit that they all looked so relieved the moment I spoke since it suggested that the activity was finally starting. After my bosses gave their welcome remarks, the games then started that also commenced the unending laughter that highlighted our day.

Everything that happened during the entire celebration was totally unexpected. The “oldies” were surprisingly attentive and were participating in all the activities that we have prepared for them. Some volunteered to do song numbers while another displayed his talent in playing the harmonica. The game show-like program we have initially arranged eventually turned out to be a variety show.

If the smiles and the laughter we shared that afternoon were enough bases to judge the success of our activity, then we have accomplished. More than what our bosses would say about the event, the momentary happiness we have imparted to the pensioners was more than enough compensation for the hard work and the effort we have exerted.

I have to acknowledge that being with the pensioners gave me so many realizations. They proved me that aging gracefully is a possibility; they made me realize that age is merely numbers. The fun they contributed to the program made me recognize that a person’s zest to live life fully does not dwindle even as they get older. Yeah, the “oldies” are no tight asses really. Most of the time, they may be just facing so many challenges that they may seem inflexible.

I never had so much enjoyment in all my hosting stint other than that afternoon. Honestly, the excitement of spending time with the child in each of them simply waiting to come out to play and have fun was incomparable.