Summary

The author reflects on their lifelong connection with water, from childhood memories in Pangasinan to global travels, and the philosophical realization of life's flow.

Abstract

The article titled "Flow Like Water — The Water From My Veins To The World" is a personal narrative detailing the author's deep-rooted relationship with water. Beginning with their early years spent on the beaches of Pangasinan in the Philippines, the author describes how water has been a central theme throughout their life. They recount fond memories of vacations and swimming lessons, and the impact of their grandfather's passing, which marked a shift in their relationship with the waters of their childhood. As they grew older, the author's experiences expanded beyond the familiar shores to include encounters with various bodies of water around the world, such as Colton Bay in Grand Teton National Park and the waters near Tiburon Island in California. The narrative concludes with the author's philosophical musings on the nature of life and water, acknowledging that while their childhood experiences are now memories captured in photographs, they are thankful for the continuous flow and transformation that water has brought to their life, preventing stagnation.

Opinions

The author has a profound, almost spiritual connection to water, viewing it as an integral part of their identity and heritage.
There is a sense of nostalgia and loss for the childhood experiences and the familial connection to Pangasinan's waters.
The author suggests that life is akin to a river, offering opportunities that one can choose to engage with either passively or actively.
The narrative conveys a sense of gratitude for the diverse experiences with water and the lessons learned from these encounters.
The author implies that change and the ability to flow, rather than remain static, are essential aspects of personal growth and fulfillment.

Flow Like Water — The Water From My Veins To The World

The water from childhood to the present

At Yellowstone National Park/ My Photo- Osan

Water is in my bloodline and in my veins.

I can not tell a story about my childhood without talking about water.

My father’s hometown is named Dagupan City. A city in the province of Pangasinan, on the northern side of the Luzon island of the Philippines.

Before the existence of Boracay or Palawan, the beauty of the beaches of Bonoan, Lingayen, Sual, and Hundred Islands put Pangasinan on the map of Philippine tourism.

I had spent Christmas vacations, school breaks, summer vacations, and long weekends of the first 13 years of my life on the beaches of Pangasinan.

Whenever I went back to school after those vacations, my classmates and teachers would always know what I did last summer and where I had been last weekend. For I was like a toasted bread, toasted twice.

One of my cousins would tease me and my sister as his cousins “who always go to the beach”. For even a few months had passed we were still like burned well-done steak and would take too long to at least become medium-rare. The time to go to the beach came again and our skin hadn’t come back to its original tone.

My mother enrolled me and my sister in a swimming lesson. She learned how to and I did not.

The things I was good at. The badass 5 year-old in me/My Photo

Maybe 13 is not a lucky number after all. Or maybe it’s 14 the unlucky one. My grandfather passed on my 14th birthday and my love affair with the waters of Pangasinan drifted away and eventually passed too. They had sold their house there and never came back.

As I slowly walked away from the waters of the north, I was slowly flowing into the waters of the south and of the world. The waters of the north and I became like friends in a long-distance relationship. We can only meet whenever we can.

The sun, the sand, the beach, the sky, the moon and me/ A selfie photo 2017/ my Photo

Probably, it comes with age or the change of times, or simply an overdose. As I stood on the seashores of Urbiztondo beach in La Union ( a province near Pangasinan), I felt like a spectator amazed by capturing the union of the sun, the sand, the sky, the beach, the moon, and myself. Rather than being the main character in the existence of the water. The sunset was my witness.

Life is like a flowing river, full of opportunities.

It’s up to you whether you stand with a bucket or spoon

— — -author unknown

That kind of relationship opened opportunities to leave footprints on the sand of other seashores.

And had opened the doors to see the waters on the other side of the world, in their various bodies and forms.

Colton Bay-Grand Teton National Park-Wyoming/ My Photo

Photo taken from the ferry going to Tiburon Island, California/ My Photo

The water of my childhood may all be memories and photographs. That’s all I have. Oftentimes, I am guilty because I can’t remember my feelings then. All I can tell is what is in the photographs. Nothing more.

But I am grateful for everything. I am grateful for it gave me all the reasons to keep on flowing and not be stagnant. And be trapped in one and only form of water — the beach.