Taking It Slow

The May 14/21 issue of Newsweek just affirmed what I've been craving for the past few months. The travel double issue deals with taking it slow and argues why moving less and seeing more is the mantra of today's traveler.

Slowing down was precisely what I wanted when summer vacation came about in the Philippines. I've been itching to zap the mob of people out of my sight, forget the piles of papers and deadlines on my table, and leave the cellphone and notebook. I've been longing to vanish into nowhere, laze for hours by the beach, read and FINISH a book cover to cover, and enjoy the music in my i-pod.

Along came Potipot Island off the Zambales coast. A gem of a destination I "discovered" while the office went on its teambuilding early May. While most of my workmates were contented with spending the time at the swimming pool or playing card games at the verandahs, off to Potipot I went with some "water worshippers."

At the island, we met a family on their third break for the year and who have been coming back to Potipot to do precisely what I would call THE LIFE: live off fish caught from the sea, savor a lot of sleep in a hammock, commune with God's creation both on the island and underneath the waters, and bring the dog to likewise have the time of his life. All these experiences, I would hope would lead to stories I can blog about and to a better outlook when and if I bounce back to normalcy.

We learned that the family has been on the island for over a week and when we chanced upon them they seemed to care less what was happening with the rest of the world. Truth to tell I envied them so much that the time we were chatting with them was an awakening to me, a realization that my taking it slow is just a matter of choice. However, it was also a time to reckon with a basic question of life: Why bother with living when one can actually have a life? Why rush when I won't really know whether I'm running to or away? Why get trapped by normalcy and all its toils when you can just break away and breathe?

I had a lot more questions to ask but the boatman was calling us to board the banca that will take us, in a hurry, back to life and its expectations: food was waiting, people were packed to go home; the bus was revving up for the drive back.

Thus, I continue to yearn for that four-letter word, no not L.I.F.E, but S.L.O.W.