That beautiful day in Baritao

No matter how many beautiful and high class resorts you may have gone to, you will always go back to nature. What nature offers is a hundred times better than fancy swimming pools filled with chlorine-treated water. I had proven that the first time I swam in the river with my friends.

It was a river in Baritao, Manaoag—where one of my closest friends, Marie Lyn, lives. The barangay is a far flung area of the municipality, so it gives you the feeling of isolation from the industrial world. All you see are fields planted with corn and fruit bearing trees. Farming is the residents’ main source of income.

The first time I went there and slept at my friend’s house was in late March this year, nearly the end of the school year. I was with some of my co-mass communication students to partake in the celebration of Marie Lyn’s 18^th birthday and to finish our final project in a major subject.

The place looks peaceful and unpolluted, so in April, when I needed some time to relax and rest my mind, I went back to Baritao with my friends Anissa, Will, Jane and Al and spent the night there.

The next day was beautiful as we had the chance to swim in the river. It was a one-kilometer walk from Marie Lyn’s house, so we had to endure the searing heat of the sun. It was a long walk, but it didn’t bore us because of our jolly nature. We kept on joking around, laughing our hearts out while walking, and didn’t feel tired at all.

Braving the heat for an afternoon swim.

A few more steps and I found myself captured in awe as I saw the river. It’s not majestic, yet I knew the moment it came into view that I would enjoy my time there.

 

So, without thinking twice, I took my shirt off and jumped into the river. The part we chose was shallow, so we could lie down on the river’s floor. The warm water touching my skin helped me relax and ease the tension I was feeling. The current wasn’t strong, so I was not afraid of getting dragged somewhere dangerous (the mouth of a crocodile perhaps).

The warm water in the river gives a relaxing feel.

The E3D Gang (no, we're not up to something sinister).

As I lied there and looked up at the sky, I realized that I had been missing a lot of good things in life. For so long, I was looking for great things, big things that are almost unrealistic, that would make me happy  without really seeing the good things right under my nose that could give me the same amount of happiness I wanted without having to spend a fortune. At that moment, I had the chance to enjoy a facet of life without worrying about how much I had to spend.

One more realization hit me that day. I missed my friends a lot. I was so busy spending time on something else a few months back that I nearly forgot about them. That was my chance to take advantage and enjoy the time I was with them. The river of happiness flooded my heart that day I spent with my friends in Baritao.