At last I’m back to the place where I grew up. The deep blue sky looks down on this patch of land. The clouds are shy so they would rather be in the outskirts of the deep blue sky. Fresh air. I miss breathing it. Except for the neighbor’s barking dog and the sound from my laptop’s speakers, it is so quiet here—so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat.

I miss the quiet. Amid my lifestyle in the city, I have no chance to be quiet, no chance to revel in this kind of tranquility.

I hear the chirps of birds—what they are I do not recognize. I hear chickens coo and cluck, perhaps tending their young. The lot next to our house is a vacant one. Two brown cows are grazing under the relentless heat of the afternoon. One is tied on a cement post and the other on a tamarind tree.

I wonder how they could graze on this lot when there are more sand and gravel than cow-edible grass. My cousins from the countryside once told me that cows can endure the heat of the sun all-day long. Two men brought grass to one of the cows. The cow thankfully ingests the food brought to it. One of the men now brings food to the other cow. These cows must be thankful to their masters for the food brought to them. Under the heat of the sun in this quiet afternoon, the cows enjoy their food.

I wonder how I look like to my neighbors here in San Manuel. With my laptop blaring what might seem like noise to them. Really, my laptop here appears to be severely out of place. I feel out of place.

The leaves of the coconuts in our yard do not stir. There’s no breeze to set them off. Two of these coconuts already have fruits on them. The others are in bloom, if coconuts could be said to be in bloom. The ground orchids of my mom are also flowering. The very soil seems to be full of life—life that it imparts with the plants and the flowers growing on it. Flowers blossom and blooms fully till they use up the life shared with them. At least they did they share of bringing beauty to our house, to the world. Beauty is always fleeting.

My city life is full of noise—a far cry from what I have here in the province. If there were a way for me to recreate this peace and quiet in the city, I would take it.

Time stands still in my own little world here at San Manuel. Time doesn’t chase me here with the endless barrage of deadlines I have to deal with in the city. I could just lie down here all day and not worry about anything at all. That’s what vacations are supposed to be—nothing for me to do and nothing for me to worry about. I haven’t done this for like three years straight. I have went home before but only because I just need to attend a gathering here and there. Well, at least I have got this chance to take my vacation. Time stands still and I’m enjoying it so far.

I got four days more before I go back to the city. I hope to recharge my creative spirits till then.