Finding time: Bantayan Island

Time.  It has been very elusive these days!  I have deadlines to meet, but I try to find the balance among these three:  family, work, and play.

A many years ago I was a corporate slave.  I sat on a chair in front of a computer eight hours or so a day.  My work involved dealing with customers, reports, and monthly deadlines.  I worked with people who eventually became friends and then family.  But my corporate life wasn’t all that sweet and peaceful.  There were of course sharks in a highly competitive world called the sales department. It was there where I learned the hardest lesson in life. Your friend today might be your number one enemy tomorrow. Meeting a quota was the name of the game.  Empathy wasn’t important nor was morals and kindness.  Mondays were the busiest because it was THE day to meet and update the bosses.  It was toxic!  Every fiber of my being hated it.

I knew deep in my heart that it wasn’t where I wanted to be.  It took me awhile to find myself.  I sacrificed my time for family and gave it away.  Come to think of it time is gold.  I made them richer, I guess.  I gave them my time.  It is sad that in order to survive financially we have to leave our homes and work like horses.  It isn’t a bad thing though, but it does not work for me.  I can’t function in an environment that is chaotic in terms of relationships.  I don’t like competition because there is nothing to prove when it comes to who is better than who by numbers and quotas.  I strive for realness in an already unreal world.

I guess I’m one of those lucky few who gets to work from home.  I manage my own time.  I can say no to this and that without a boss pestering me of something I couldn’t give.  I wake up early everyday for “me” time and have coffee for an hour if I wish so.  No breaks as dictated by a policy.  But still I work with all my heart.  I give it my best because this time my best is what is out there.  I am not associated by a company name, but instead I represent myself.  Because of this I work doubly hard.  The expectation I set for myself is higher compared to when I was employed.  I demand too much of myself, I forget to appreciate what I have and what I do.

So, I find time.

Time to smell the roses and be whole again.  Time for self.  Be it on the mat, on my bike, underwater or by running.  I find time to care.  After all, love is not a noun but a verb.  You show it by giving time and making time.  I find time to be present and to be in the moment.  To just be!  I have stopped idolizing the word busy.  It is just a frame of mind. Looking back, I was not that productive when I was busy busy!  You know what I mean?? You can be busy but not finish a task or busy by doing too many things all at the same time without really meeting a goal.  Maybe, if you do, it is half baked or not by heart.

Find time and give time!

Some photos of last Sunday’s time off!

If you are not a party goer like I am, Bantayan Island is the place for you. It’s just you, the sun, the sand and the ocean.  Bring a book and be a lazy for a day or two.  It won’t hurt your business!

When it’s high tide, sea water seeps in the sand bar.

When it’s summer time Kota Beach rate doubles.  That’s our hut right there.  P3,500/night.  P300 for an extra mattress.

The little man played away.  He knows how to entertain himself.

Friends at the beach.

Daddy find time for me, please!

I do not have a proper photo of myself.  This shadow will do for now.

I hope you get to spend holy week with your family.