Whenever I have the chance to take a break and gain peace outside the fast-paced lifestyle of adulthood, I always grab it wholeheartedly. As adults, it takes us many weeks or even months to take a break, especially when we have a hectic or overloaded schedule in our work and studies. Seldom do we experience the true pause we should do more often because it is free. But we could not blame this lifestyle, for we want to achieve things that would make our lives more comfortable and gain that success we have always hoped for. I know it is hard, but may everyone who reads this column remind themselves to take a pause from time to time and not detach from the true meaning of living.
Such is how I grabbed a chance last week with my boyfriend. He invited me to a simple, relaxing stay at Casa Del Mar Golf Course, which I have already shared with you in my blogs. Here is what you have to know about Casa Del Mar from my previous blogs:
Casa Del Mar is popular in the town of San Remigio, in the barangay of Maño, since it is home to many memories a person can make in peaceful surroundings. Many people have their romantic dates here, some celebrate milestones, others spend family time, and sometimes—or usually—photographers and celebrants gather here for photoshoots. This place is also used by scouts during school camping. And after the recent earthquake, people nearby gathered here and made the place their temporary home, safe from debris and infrastructures that could collapse anytime due to aftershocks. It is an abandoned golf course, but still, people find their way back to this green landscape, for they know the gem it carries.
When we arrived at Casa, the weather had become perfectly fine and appropriate for our simple stay under its respectable shade. The grasses made the landscape appear greener and healthier, clouds formed above like it was an art in a painting, and coconut trees and mango orchards appeared more relaxing, where we found a perfect spot until dusk.
It is obvious that the green landscape and the vast blue sky created these perfect complementary colors, added with details like cows and bushes in my eyesight. This kind of view is what I crave every day; it is my dream to build a house in a lone space like this, just nature as my neighbor. There are many trees here that offer shade for visitors, many you could pick, and it is up to you how you make the criteria. As soon as we found a coconut tree, I knew we would be sitting right there the whole day because coconut trees are perfect as natural sunblock.
One activity that was included in our planned stay was to pluck my boyfriend's white hair because he has many white hairs now on his head and he does not like it already. He likes having white hair, but now there are too many that are so obvious. He is afraid it would make him look old. So we decided we would have to allocate time to pluck his white hair, and since it requires laborious effort, I told him we could do it in a refreshing place. Then he invited me to Casa, and he made the right decision and picked the right choice of place.
We brought our laptops, books, food for lunch, mini-camera, biscuits and other sweets, and some necessities and a mat to lay on the ground so we could sit comfortably. We also brought our charot cards to let time pass and also to laugh as hard as we could during the stay. By the time we arrived, there were no visitors other than us, so it made me happy to think we had an exclusive stay in this abandoned golf course.
My boyfriend started reading while I was plucking his hair, which I really enjoyed. It is really satisfying every white hair I get to pluck and put in a small box so he would know how much white hair he had. He was reading A Gentle Reminder by Bianca Sparacino, and from time to time, he would ask me to speak of a number, and he would scan that number to the pages of the book and recite to me the reminders written on that exact page I spoke. We talked for hours, had fun on this landscape, and made memories we would look back on soon.
And oh, a puppy. This time someone arrived and he had a puppy. He shared with us that the puppy wanted to go out, but he wanted it to be safe since it was not vaccinated yet.
Before dusk, a sunset arrived in front of us. This sunset told us to pack our things and walk down from above since it is a 30-minute walk from this landscape to the municipal highway. The sunset was perfect; the orange hue was displayed extravagantly, and the view was astonishing. It was relaxing, pleasing to the eyes, and light to the hearts of those who appreciate it.
As we walked down with tired feet but peaceful hearts, I realized that days like this do not ask for grand plans or expensive reservations. They only ask for willingness—to pause, to breathe, to sit under a coconut tree and let time move slowly. Casa once again reminded me that peace is not far away; it is somewhere waiting for us to notice it. And whenever life becomes too loud, I know there is a green landscape in Maño where I can return, lay down my worries, and simply exist.