Addicted to sunshine?

I suspect I’m getting addicted to The Sunshine Place. I have written about this before but I didn’t know it as well as I know it now. The Sunshine Place is a four-story building with a roof garden. On the roof garden are a small chapel and a big area with a grand piano. The big area you can rent for parties or meetings. It is bright and looks wonderful. The grand piano is where they give voice lessons for children and adults.

On the fourth floor is a dance studio, where I go for Zumba Gold, essentially a dance class that I take to exercise. Up to about a month ago my only exercise was walking every morning from kitchen to porch water my plants. Then I sit down the rest of the day knitting, sewing, or working at my computer. Well, when I decided to take my dream of turning into a lounge singer I decided to exercise more so I enrolled in Zumba Gold. It had me panting after half an hour but now on my fourth lesson, I made it to one hour at last.

Also on the fourth floor is Vivify, a beauty salon owned by Vivian Yuchengco, which I tried with tremendous satisfaction. I had a manicure and pedicure for the first time in approximately three years and it was great. If you go there, ask for Jasmin. She did my nails, handled my ingrowns wonderfully. Vivify will be part of my monthly schedule.

The third floor is a foot massage place. I have not tried that. It was just finished recently but it looks neat.

On the second floor is what they call the Senior’s Hub, where they give art classes, everything from drawing to watercolor to oil and acrylic. And on the other side of the floor is where I teach writing on Thursday afternoons and soon on Saturday afternoons. The Saturday classes will begin on June 11.

This is what one of my students, Chit Mijares-Chua wrote that moved me: GROW “I watch you grow so I could let you go…” I could have written that for every child I bore and every grandchild I adore. Now I write this for every mother, every woman who has raised a child. I write this for every newborn.

One day, your legs and arms and everything about you will be longer and bigger than mine. One day, your tiny pudgy hands that wrap tightly around my finger will slip away. One day I will not have you cradled in my arms, you looking at me and I studying your face, with your heart pressed to mine. You will be too big and heavy for that. One day you will grow up. One day I will be older and I will really be “almost going to heaven.’

Picture these and those will be us growing in time. You will be stronger and bolder. You will have slayed the monsters, the zombies, the T-rexes and great white sharks that terrified you and live in the land only you could enter. You will grow up and life will tell you what is real and what is unreal. Magic is not real. Losing and failing are real. Trying and starting again are how you grow.

I, on the other hand, will be wrinkled and slower but I will remain the dreamer, an anchor, powerful and unbreakable. I have grown strong roots from the pains and the rain, from the triumphs and sunshine in my long life.

You will grow up. I will grow old. But promise me that when the day comes that you want to let go, you will never outgrow me nor the way I want to love you.

Don’t grow up too fast. Please don’t hurry. As I watch you grow and as I brace myself for the time when I must let you go, I pray that you grow and go in God’s grace and way always.

It’s a beautiful piece written by a grandmother who doesn’t look like a grandmother at all. I think The Sunshine Place is the perfect place to teach writing. A few steps away from our writing table are mahjong tables. And they give mahjong lessons. I have taken one and wish to take more but they schedule them when my car is off the road.

On the first floor is the Garden Café, which is run by Bizu. It has a simple menu that’s quite delicious. I like the dishes with cauliflower rice but I decided I would try all the items on the menu then determine my favorites.

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If you live in Makati, you should check out The Sunshine Place at #56 Jupiter Street, Bel Air. You can also call them for more information at 856-4144 or 856-4162. Many patrons call it The Happy Place. I agree. I could get addicted.

Please text your comments to 0917-8155570.

Zumba Gold had me panting after half an hour but now on my fourth lesson, I made it to one hour at last.