Empower Your Journey with Life Lessons

In the Beginning:

November 26, 2020, was a Thanksgiving Day like no other.  The United States was in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic. Government had restricted indoor-family gathering to no more than 10 people and masks needed to be worn indoors if some family members were of different households. Our family exceeded the count limit, so what used to be one large turkey for one family, became three small turkeys for three different households celebrating separately!

            Life was a cacophony of blaring TV sounds during the day, and a deafening silence of stillness at night. With restrictions on travel and outside activities, I felt I was on house arrest and forced to make time for nostalgia to fill my day.

          Memories slowly came to life as I gazed at the bare trees in the backyard. As I looked up to the sky, questions came to mind…How did I come down on earth? Who designed what life would I have to live while on earth?  I then imagined a group of wise men in heaven looking down on earth and, for want of anything to do, they thought of designing a life for me.  They came up with a plan known only to them and, commissioned a group of angels to guide me along the way.  There had been so many events in my life that tend to enforce my belief that I was just playing my role to make happen what had been destined in heaven for me to do on earth.

           I created this blog to share my varied experiences in life and the lessons they taught me to guide others in navigating the many twists and turns of everyday life.

          And my story begins….at my weekly posting on lifeisadestiny.com!

Posted on: 6/13/26

Blog Post No. 2

It is a privilege to get old and not everyone is given this opportunity.  At 84 years, I am much older than my two neighbors, Peggy and Bernadette, and even older than the 3 most recent U.S. Presidents: Obama at 64, Biden at 83, and Trump at 80 years. Yes!!!

If you ask why I just thought about starting a blog at my age, I’m asking myself that too.  Why now?  Several years ago, my son, George broached the idea of blogging when I was still actively traveling so why was I not interested then? Could it be that I have a unique “GPS” in me that causes me to “wait” in order to be in perfect sync with God’s plans for me? Hmm..

May these random snippets of my life story provide you some “food for thought”.   I say… “We’ll see what happens”, a common refrain I heard in my son, Gene’s several fishing videos on YouTube @ATBfishing2816!

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Life Experiences:

Men or Women’s Bathroom – Where to Go???

My earliest memory of bathroom use goes back to when I was about 9 years old in the quaint little town of San Francisco, in the Philippines. Bus rides were through bumpy dirt roads making it necessary to have bathroom breaks for the passengers. It was bathroom “open-air style” where I saw one lady do a #1 standing up.  This piqued my curiosity and tried to do it at home. As I kid, I dripped all over doing a #1 standing! 

Fast forward to now. My cousin, Mano Mador, was very kind to describe my house as “COZY” rather than “SMALL”. That the bathroom is unisex is not a big deal except during times when I have to yell “put the darn seat down!”.  Rules for use are simple – if in use, door is closed, otherwise, it’s kept open for the next user.

However, bathroom use when traveling is a different issue especially when with someone handicapped.  Men and women’s bathroom are separate in airport waiting areas. My husband was on a wheelchair and once, I had to take him to the men’s room.  My first time to see the inside of a men’s bathroom. The area was so open for doing #1. No wonder there is never any line on men’s bathroom; they don’t spend time to sit down for a #1. The place was empty when we came in. I chose the second urinal thinking whoever came in could use the ones further from my husband. Darn it!  First guy who came in used the empty slot on the right followed by another guy who occupied the left slot! With good peripheral vision, it was hard to ignore what was happening.  I was thankful that they did not mind me being in the men’s bathroom to help my handicapped husband.

Another bathroom dilemma occurred while touring inside the very crowded Vatican City in Rome. As my son, George and I were about to go in the Sistine Chapel, I felt a little stomach pain first ebbing and then increasing in intensity like I was about to deliver a baby. We separated from our group to go to the bathroom. As always, the women’s bathroom had a long line. No choice but for George to take me to the men’s room.  Thank God for the men waiting outside who tolerated my using the men’s room once they knew of my condition.  I was blessed that George was there too. If only he can stop taking stolen shots of me!

Perhaps my most agonizing bathroom issue happened when I was on a tour of Egypt. Experiencing severe indigestion on a tour bus with no bathroom and in the middle of the worst traffic ever was so traumatic! I barely made it to the bathroom!

            Just recently in the US, a father traveling with two little girls had to stop for bathroom break for his girls. Common sense dictated that he had to take his girls to the women’s bathroom. The owner called 911 to complain why he was in women’s room.  Thank God the police sided with the father.

            At times, men looking very feminine are seen in women’s bathroom; and women looking masculine are seen in the men’s bathroom. Both sides claim that they belong in the right place.

The Lesson:

                        A clear guidance has been established that “in the beginning, God created man and woman.” For the purpose of selecting which bathroom to choose, maybe it is best to determine the sexes by the presence or absence of a ding-a-ling “down there” until such time that sufficient facilities are made available to accommodate further breakdown of the original 2 sexes. 

Posted on: 6/21/26