I’ve seen many posts on social media with words of advice people would give their younger selves and I love to read them but what about when your younger self has great reminders as well?
This past weekend I was going through old files and purging everything I could. The files were mostly old paperwork, tax and business papers, my old marriage license and divorce decree and a lot of crap no one really wants to keep. I’ve lugged these things around over the years so getting rid of this stuff felt good.
While doing this I came across beautiful cards and letters from family, friends and even my first love. One thing that caught my attention was an old notebook. It was one of my favorite possessions while living in the Philippines as a kid. I opened it to memories long forgotten and was taken right back to them.
The notebook illustrates how passionately I felt about living in the Philippines and I realized I have similar feelings about life now. I thought I’d share some of my childhood experiences with you. These are great reminders to refocus on the beauty and wonder of life.
I wrote of waking up each morning to the loud screeches of wild parrots flying by our house. Of the monsoon rains bringing forth a thick white fog from the ground where you couldn’t see past a few inches in front of your face. I recalled trying to walk barefooted from my school bus on the hot coral streets and how my feet were so blistered I couldn’t walk well for days afterwards. I wrote of watching the wind push the palm frons around making it look like they were dancing.
I remember getting up in the middle of the night while everyone slept just to watch the moon over the bay and I would cry because I never wanted to leave. I knew our was coming to an end and I’d probably never see my beloved Philippines and her incredible people again.
I wrote of watching hermit crabs discard their used shell after finding (or being offered) a newer, larger version. Their little naked bodies amazed me. Out of their shells their bodies were so soft and vulnerable.
I would go on the hunt for gecko eggs. They could always be found if you unwrapped the lacey bark from a palm tree. I delighted in finding those tiny white eggs.
My friends and I would marvel at the millions of fruit bats “flying foxes” that would pour out of the jungle around dusk.
We pushed our luck with wild monkeys and cobras and other potentially deadly creatures. I remember many times thinking I was truly about to die or be very injured. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
We regaled each other as kids often do with our own gory versions of stories of soldiers getting killed by bull monkeys or wild boar. And none of us wanted to get caught in the dense white fog for fear the Filipino “white lady” legend was true.
We lived for ice candies. Ice candies were just plastic tubes filled with frozen, flavored ice. The US had snow cones, we had ice candy. Off base we learned to drink some beverages out of bags with a straw. I don’t know why they did this but it was fun.
My place of choice was the El Kabayo riding stables were you could have a monthly lease on a horse and mingle with the half-naked native pygmies called Negritos. I learned a lot about Filipino culture and food from the stable employees who were generous enough to share both their lunches and their wisdom with us.
Occasionally I had the chance to ride in a fabulously adorned Jeepney. These colorful, often intricately decorated vehicles function as public transportation in cities around the Philippines.
The Filipinos are beautiful, artistic people. They’re incredibly accepting and soulful. My first powerful female role model was Corazon Aquino, the first female President of the Philippines. I even had a doll in her likeness. “People Power!” was her platform. I still believe in that and I still adore her signature color, yellow. She seemed to love her people and the people deserved to be loved. It’s because of her I dreamed of being President of the Philippines one day, as silly as that was for a pale American girl. That’s how much I loved it there.
I lost that part of myself for a long time. That part of me who appreciated life, who took the time to be still and quiet and observe. I’m happy to reconnect to that again.
And now, I could really go for some adobo.
“Nothing can go wrong in sight of a palm.” – my younger self