Lake Sebu.
The past 24 hours has been tough. I experienced the allergic reaction that almost killed me 21 years ago, almost like meeting the devil Baba always warned me to avoid. But surprisingly enough I was calm, calm while seeing parts of me swelling, turning into hot, irritated patches of skin, as if the internal emotions that I was suppressing lately tried to escape my body like a prisoner tries to break free. The injections put me to sleep, sleep that was unknown to me. When I got up I felt peaceful, the entirety of the event felt small, something had changed. I magically figured out things I need to prioritize.
I also watched a documentary called “Mermaids of Lake Sebu”, primarily about the lives of women in a small island called Sebu in the Philippines. I watched something without skipping or getting distracted in the longest time. Watching something so random yet so enriching was indeed an experience, or is it just me seeking for depths and purpose in simple things because I’m tired of the shallow? Coming back to lake Sebu, I want to quote the beginning words of the documentary, “When the world began, animals were musicians. One day a guard fell in love with the princess. He quickly grew weary of life on earth and took the princess and her entire palace to his celestial paradise. Once up in the heavens the princess realized that she had just deprived her people of its culture so she ordered all the animal musicians to jump out to window and return to earth. She gave the gong to the monkey so he communicates with her. The celestial paradise is lake Sebu and now the women are the musicians.”
The simple and unadulterated lives of the tribals is something that would never fail to fascinate me, mostly because I grew up experiencing it closely. I also realized I want to develop a liking for sitar and other simple string instruments listening to the women of lake Sebu play. The acceptance of the beauty of life without superficial ambitions looks peaceful. I want to learn stillness in life. I want to be passionate about things in a very subtle way. Hopefully this journey would be worth starting.
