Months ago, I watched Perfect Days by Wim Wenders. The movie follows Hirayama, as a public toilet cleaner in Japan. His ‘perfect’ day is simple: he wakes up before sunrise, waters his plants, goes to his job, eats during his break, takes pictures with his film camera, finishes work, eats in a local restaurant, goes home, and sleeps.
For the first hour of the movie, it showed his mundane life or his schedule. Of course, there were some climaxes, but I’ll get there shortly. The movie finished, and the first thing I asked myself: “So . . . what now?”
Those are the questions I always ask myself whenever I finish doing something. I mean, what do I do? What can I do next?
I always need the urge to do something, finish something. I probably got used to my work, where I have to finish three to four stories in a day, or more before the deadline.
But probably, I didn’t really get the message of this movie after watching it.
A few weeks earlier, I visited my family in Edmonton for my father’s birthday.
He turned 52! And he described it as a “long, beautiful life!”
I went to the mall first to buy everything I needed for his birthday. I had a to-do list in my phone’s notepad.
First, I bought a cake from Paris Baguette. My dad loves chocolate! I went to Sunrise Records and got him a Foreigner CD. He hates Spotify, he got scammed there before, so I always get him CDs for his car. I got more things for him after that.
After finishing my to-do list, I asked myself again, “So . . . What now?”
I went home and I surprised him. I hugged my father. I’m taller than him! While hugging him, I was already thinking about where we should eat later for his birthday. What restaurants do they like? I should make a reservation now.
My family and I sat all at the table, sang Happy Birthday for him, and he blew his candles.
We ate at Boston Pizza after. That’s my parents’ favourite restaurant.
While we were eating, I noticed my dad. When did he get so small? So thin? When did his neck get saggy? Well, he is 52! My mood went down. I was only gone for almost a year, why didn’t I notice that?
I was quiet for the rest of the day.
While my family and I were chilling in the living room that day after we ate out, I remembered the movie, Perfect Days. How come I did not understand the message of it?
The climax of the movie was when Hirayama’s niece visited him. While riding their bicycles together over a bridge in Tokyo, the niece asked him if “they will visit this place again.” Hirayama said, “Next time is next time. Now is now.”
In the living room during my father’s birthday, I put down my phone, and played with my siblings. I sat in the middle of the sofa, between my mom and my dad. They both laughed. This is them.
Before I left for Slave Lake, I held my father’s hand. It felt like sandpaper. I plan to hold his hand whenever I say bye to him from now on.
I will probably do the same again. I will probably think of my next to-do list.
But I’m hoping to be present to my loved ones, to be there.
Julia Magsombol