I'd always tell foreigner friends how lucky I feel about having easy access to many beaches, lagoons, mountain springs etc. in Visayas and Mindanao + Palawan. The charm of these places can be so out-of-this world that all the time, I'd think their existence is definitely not random. They were meant to be there. And we are meant to experience them. Often times, the long stretch of a beach, the clear waters, the coarse sand, the scorching sun, the crashing of the waves, the infectious laughter from the kids-- they remind me of childhood. They remind me of skin color changing to darker tones, of grilled fish and various seafoods or vegetables cooked in coconut milk, of sodas and dessert consisting of canned fruits swimming in mayonnaise and cream. They remind me of simple, genuine joys; joys that pertain to togetherness of families, and especially cousins. They remind me of that point in time where worries do not exist, that time when we were told that the sea has healing powers and solves all problems; that time when, dreams are unencumbered, hope is abundant, getting hurt is easy because at the end of the day, we know that it won't and shouldn't last. They remind me about that time when life was incredibly simple yet we were living and doing the parts that truly mattered. They remind me that we all started from somewhere good, from a happy place, from a place of warmth and love. Maybe at some point in our lives, it can be hard to believe that and maybe, it's easier to forget because we are consumed by the layers of realities of our world now. But nature has a way of speaking and reminding. The beaches, the lagoons, the waves, the sand, the breeze; they bring us back to that special place. Then we'd get to realize that no matter how long we've left that place or how far we've gone in setting out and exploring the world, to gain more knowledge and experience, to chase our dreams, as we have been told, we'd always long for and eventually return to the basics. Because the truth is, life is simple and basic. Family is simple and basic, same with friendship, and most especially love. #ThoughtsInSiargao #Siargao (at Kawhagan Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoHAryEHSqF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ji8r5qxo6cyz