Used To Be

I used to row almost every morning. Woke up around 5-ish to go to Manila Bay and row. Manila Bay isn't that smelly, you know. It is calm and serene when it wants to be so, and the rhythmic slicing of oars into the water is a beautiful experience shared amongst those willing to wake up early enough to try it.

I used to climb mountains. Spent weekends hiking. My backpack was my friend, and nights were spent with gin and more friends. There was a time I didn't have a single Nalgene bottle to my name, and was very very proud of my 100-peso Nalgene look-alike bottle...that is until the bottle fell off from a tricycle and got shattered into several un-usable pieces. Then I wished for a Nalgene bottle for Christmas, and got 3. Now I have Nalgene bottles (which are probably non-BPA-free). And I don't hike anymore.

I used to play ultimate frisbee. Got introduced to the sport. And introduced B. to the sport. Loved the feeling of running. I'm a terrible thrower and not a decent catcher, but I really liked the feeling of running. Now practice takes too much time, and only B. plays now.

I used to love a lot of other things too. I used to write a lot. I used to paint when I was younger. I remember composing songs when I was a 6-year old. Now I don't do those things. I can't even draw a decent duck or cow when my daughter asks me to draw. But that's ok. She writes squiggly lines and says "that's a fish". It's a beautiful fish. Perfection is relative too, you know.

"We are all the paths we walked, and everything we loved." - Paulo Coehlo