“The retired academic says retirement can also be quite boring, stressful and depressing if one does not know how to make oneself physically and mentally busy”
It’s six in the morning, a typical weekday, and the sun has just peeped through the crowns of the 540-km Sierra Madre on the east side of Nueva Ecija.
And the 70-year-old former academic at the Central Luzon State University, who officially retired nine years ago from the faculty of Development Communication, is already up in his backyard vegetable and ornamental garden, where he raises dozens of free-range native chicken.
The Cabanatuan-born 1.7-meter tall Ben Domingo, who wears eyeglasses when necessary, is visibly enjoying daybreak and sunrise while checking on his dogs, cats, doves and love birds, before doing his share of early morning kitchen duties.
This is the hobby of this mountaineer, looked up to by four children and five grandchildren, which he picked up soon after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in March 2020, when his family stopped cultivating a hectare of rented vegetable farm near their house in barangay San Francisco, Santo Domingo, Nueva Ecija..
He had just awakened from a nearly six-hour sleep and has taken his first mug of herbal tea – the second before retiring to bed at 11 p.m.
But Domingo, who did graduate work for Master of Arts in Communication, major in Journalism, at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication, is still the chairperson – on holdover capacity – of the Technical Committee for Journalism of the Commission on Higher Education.
An active lecturer in journalism training programs and a sportsman, he also retired as a technical official of the Badminton World Federation and the Badminton Asia Confederation when he was only 58 years old due to health reasons but has yet to retire from his other non-employment activities.
He and his wife remain active as officers of their village senior citizens association where they regularly serve as hosts to their meetings and special parties.
Every so often, Domingo, his sense of humor always at the ready at every turn of phrase, is invited to serve as lecturer in community communication and campus journalism training programs and/or as motivational speaker in gatherings of socio-civic/non-government/neighborhood organizations.
From time to time, he also accepts contracted writing and editing work.
We arranged a quick interview with him after he had knocked back the initial home-made tea/concoction from medicinal leaves/herbs in their backyard.
His backyard breathes with lagundi (five-leaf chaste tree), oregano (origanum vulgare), guyabano (soursop) , banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa ), pandan (fragrant screwpine), apatot (vomit fruit) and noni (Indian mulberry), among others.
And he also takes moderate amounts of lime [dalayap in Ilokano] extracts, native honey straight from Abra, virgin coconut oil, and coco/muscovado/dark sugar.
The grandfather, who has been taking maintenance medicines as from his late 50s to the post pandemic zone, admits “most of these organic teas/concoctions have been part of our family life since I was a farm-river-mountain child growing up in Isabela province.”
His thoughts on the elderly, in addressing our questions, were straightforward. We have his words:
GG: Any changes in lifestyle, diet after retirement; at what age did you start feeling the biological aging process?
BD: I started feeling the effects of biological aging when I was in my early 50s, although I still climbed mountains and did 40-60 km off road biking and spelunking expeditions during my free weekends until before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I gradually avoided indulging in alcoholic beverages when I reached my mid-50s after observing that many of my drinking buddies then were getting waylaid by various drinking-related ailments. Today, I still occasionally take 1-2 bottles of beer or 2-3 shots of fruit wine.
I have not been into diet restrictions until 2-3 years ago when I voluntarily reduced my rice, salt, sugar and fat intake after my medical laboratory test numbers indicated that I was already borderline diabetic, and that I had Grade 1 prostate enlargement and blood pressure, cholesterol and creatinine issues.
GG: Have you had any surgeries pre- or during retirement?
BD: Let me praise the Almighty because I haven’t had any surgery before and during my retirement years.
GG: How do you handle physical and psychological stress now? Was there more stress when you were still working or what?
BD: My family and I are very fortunate to have relatively spacious houses in our 2,000- square meter lot which helps us reduce physical, emotional and psychological stress, especially during the pandemic lockdowns.
I also have a number of online chat groups with my children, grandchildren, siblings, relatives, friends, and professional and socio-civic organization associates, which keep me from getting bored during slow days.
I have likewise resumed my travels to places away from the cities after the easing up of COVID restrictions. In fact, I just arrived from a six-day unstructured adventure tour of Ilocandia and the Cordilleras and a three-day work-leisure weekend in Baler.
Because I am no longer bound by organizational and management responsibilities, rules and protocols, I am now enjoying my retirement years much more than the decades I spent as an employee when my life had to be defined by dos and don’ts imposed by my employer-agency.
I value how I am able to define and direct my activities these days.
GG: What’s your meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner now as an elderly?
BD: Our regular breakfast fare often consists of home-cooked rice, fried dried fish or garlic longganisa, steamed vegetable tops, boiled banana, camote or corn, and fruits afforded by their seasonal availability.
Our lunch viands are usually the vegetable-based Ilocano kind – pinakbet, inabraw, dinengdeng or burudibod, and fruits.
Frequently, our supper includes fish and meat dishes, but we now avoid beef because it seems to be the cause of my wife’s arthritic rheumatism problems.
During special occasions, we also dine out but the choices for fine-dining are quite limited in our locality.
GG: Are there things you now remember as an elderly that you should have done when you were younger?
BD: I should have taken care of my health from the very outset. I should have learned to avoid the company of so-called friends who influenced me negatively during what should have been my most professionally productive years. I should have been more focused in my career and career directions.
But I seldom talk and discuss about ‘what ifs’ and ‘what should have beens’ in my life because these unnecessarily open up deep-seated pains that could be quite depressing.
GG: How do you address the fact of getting old? What are your biggest fears about aging?
BD: I try my best to enjoy the realities and challenges of this chapter in my life. I always keep in mind that every new morning that I wake up to is a gift, a bonus now that I am a septuagenarian.
My biggest fears? One, that I will live too long – and sickly — such that I will be dependent on others for my very personal needs, especially those related to hygiene.
Two, that I do not have sufficient retirement funds to take care of possible medical bills in the future.
Three, any of the following — senility, dementia, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s…
GG: Would you hide your true age? If so, any reason, if not, why not?
BD: No! Never! In fact, when I was in my late 60s, I enjoyed telling people in jest that I was already 80, and some would unwittingly retort, “You look a still very energetic 75!” after which I would burst in a wild guffaw.
I feel great – and respected — when young people call me ‘Lolo’ although I could not imagine how I would react if I will eventually be referred to as ‘Ingkong’ (GG Note: This is a term borrowed from Hokkien, which means grandfather or a very old man).
GG: Lessons in life you would like to inculcate in the minds of your offspring?
BD: That integrity, respect and humaneness are more important than money, power and prestige.
GG: Do you let your children make their decisions on their own, or do you try to influence their decisions?
BD: I let them make their own decisions in life, although I often help them know, understand and weigh various options that they can choose from.
GG: Your philosophy in life, as a person.
BD: “Dream big, start small and take one step at a time.”
“It is not the destination but the journey that truly matters; so, take time to pause every now and then to enjoy the scenery and smell the flowers along the way.”
GG: What are your thoughts on people who still work after retirement?
BD: I respect whatever decisions they may have on this issue, because for many, working may be a matter of need and survival. Others may want to remain involved, useful and be relevant. And some have to work to keep their body active and their mind sharp to avoid the early onset of senility.
GG: Do you think early retirement affects an elderly person’s health?
BD: The first few years of early retirement can be enjoyable while [or if] one still has enough money at his/her disposal. But if funds get depleted [especially for those who opt for the take-all lump sum retirement fund] and one has to scrounge for crumbs to feed himself/herself and/or his/her grandchildren, that will make them rue their decision to retire early.
Retirement can also be quite boring, stressful and depressing if one does not know how to make oneself physically and mentally busy.
Moreover, lack of physical activity can hasten muscle atrophy and bone brittleness.
GG: Now that you are retired, what is the view backward and forward on life? Has retiring confirmed what you thought about life when you were younger and working, changed your perspective on things, or had no impact at all?
BD: I didn’t and still don’t believe in compulsory retirement specially if one has a lot more – wisdom, knowledge and expertise — to share.
I can’t understand why there are those advocating 55 as new retirement age because at 70, I still am eager and motivated to serve and be useful, if not for our country or community, at least for my family.