What it feels like to be home: Perks of living in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

Sometimes when the world feels too heavy to carry and handle, we just find ourselves seeking for a place that feels like home

A wonderful day, my fellow Hivers! Today is another day to spread love and kindness and I hope that you all are doing fine and great. Another blog for this week and I am hoping that you will enjoy the rest of this blog!

I am and forever will be that person who loves to go home in a place where life is not just about surviving at all. I love to go home in a place where I can comfortably be loud, messy, and free. I love to go home, where I feel like I am most alive.

Living in Olango Island is one of the things that I am grateful for in my twenty years of existence. The lifestyle that I have, the environment that I live in, and the resources that I grow up with, will always be with me whenever and wherever I am. I also feel like there is something in the island that constantly makes me look forward to return home, and I think it is the perks of living there that heal me in every possible way.

Perk #1: A simple life

Looking back when I was a kid, I really enjoyed sweeping the leaves of our Talisay tree whenever fall season came. I just loved how the sound and smell of the leaves always remind me how peaceful life can be. It also became and still my little and daily exercise whenever I am back home from the city.

After that, I would proceed to watering the plants my mother planted and took care of. It is just so mesmerizing how plants bloom and how colorful they become when water touches their roots and leaves. I just can't get enough of the happiness while watering them.

Next up, I always make time on climbing our mango tree at the back of our house. As silly as it sounds, I love the smell of its leaves and the feeling of being above the ground. There is also this idea of mine that climbing a tree is a kind of a little accomplishment for me. Indeed, it was and always be a fun leisure activity.

Other than that, when the weather is fine, I randomly take time to stroll on the seashore because I live in the moment of random days, the sound of the waves, and the sea breeze.

Lastly, when I have lots of leisure time and all my household chores are already done, sometimes I make use of it by making a little garden in our own little backyard.

Overall, growing up with this simple life made me realize how blessed I am. This type of lifestyle illustrates a slow life that others, especially me, want to live with in the future. A slow life that allows us to pause, to rest, and to reflect on all of our journeys and adventures we have made.

Perk #2: Fresh air and fresh foods

Aside from living a simple life, I have also another reason, or perk, of why living on an island is much better than in the city, and that is about the access to fresh air and foods.

There will be times when we don't have that much money to buy food; we simply go to our backyard and harvest some of the vegetables we planted. We have here some horseradish (malunggay), ash gourd (kundol), a variety of capsicums (sili), and many more.

Furthermore, if it is the weekend, my family sometimes likes to go to the beach and glean for seafood, and this includes shellfish, sea urchins, sea grapes, and sea moss.

The best part here is not just about the foods that we ate but also the memories that we have made. This also serves as our bond to strengthen our relationship with one another and as a simple celebration of surviving life on a daily basis.

Thus, living here requires hard work, patience, and genuinely embracing the beauty of what this island can give.

Perk #3: Solitude

As someone who sometimes prefers being alone, especially when the world is too cruel and I am too soft to face it, living here is one of the opportunities and escapes I will always be grateful for.

Being alone has never been hard since I was a kid. Although I had so many friends back then, I still found myself searching for a kind of peace that was ready to embrace the quietness of my soul, and that is how my love for solitude was made.

The solitude that I have in this island is incomparable. I have the luxury of time in here to be who I want to be; I can read books whenever I want to. I can freely sing and dance. I can paint and write. I can be as quiet as I can. I can watch movies or films, talk to plants, and stroll on a windy seashore. Others might not understand this feeling of wanting to be alone, and it is totally okay, because this kind of circumstance is not everyone's cup of tea.

With that, I realized that I have been in such profound solitude lately that returning to this island always makes me the happiest person I can be. This place feels much safer because of the things and people I love, and the sense of comfort and stillness this island can provide for me.

Hence, when the time comes and someone will ask me what my future plan would be, I would definitely say that I will do my very best to give my family and myself a comfortable, happy, and quiet life to live.

That is all for this blog, and thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope that you have learned something out of this, and I truly appreciate the effort that you dedicated. I would like to know your thoughts in the comment section below. Have a great day ahead, and God bless!
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