Take A Walk!

By Rolo B. Cena
Arabian Diaries
Dumaguete Star Informer
20 September 2009

He is always seen walking with his backpack on and packed lunch carried in his right hand. Occasionally, his left hand carries the mobile phone clinging to his left ear. This scenario is frequently taking place at about 6:00 in the morning I regularly witness as he passes by my place while waiting for our service driver.

By happenstance one morning, I see him walking again. I smile at him and give him a clue that I want to talk to him. He slows down and we greet “good morning” in our sweet, familiar tongue. We have a brief, casual talk and I learn what I wanted to know.

He takes a walk from A Street to the 26th Street of the City; obviously, that is twenty-seven streets (A Street is followed by 1st Street by the way). And this distance is actually three kilometers from his temporary domicile. He takes a walk twice daily; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Yes, he takes a walk from his humble abode to his work place and back for two good reasons: good health and savings.

Alas! I finally find a migrant who considers good health on top of his list: taking a walk to him is walking to good health, to good life. After all, walking, as medically and scientifically proven, is a perfect exercise. Alongside with this, he considers this activity as a way to save on cost. Imagine if he takes taxi twice daily, this will cost him twenty riyals. If we will multiply twenty riyals by twenty-six days, this will apparently give him five hundred twenty riyals per month as savings. Consequently, if he sends this to the Philippines, this will give his family about six thousand six hundred pesos. Whew!

As almost always, my domicile attachment ushers my domesticity back to my humble abode in the “city of gentle people”. I always long to be with my family. If this rings intermittently in my senses, I feel I would burst into pieces. If this temporary alienation plays in my system, either I take a walk or does my gym work out.

Taking a walk has been very helpful to me as it releases my stress brought about by boredom and homesickness. Why? Reflexology puts it that our feet (including hands) have corresponding zones for all our internal organs. Mere manipulation of our feet gives us the privilege to be healed of all sicknesses. A total or complete relief, indeed!

Yes, this is not just true to me but to all migrant workers in the Kingdom. Very candidly, I asked one engineer why he prefers to dine outside than prepare his own food in his accommodation. His abrupt response was: “I will die if I do eating alone in my flat. I will only see my wife and my kids looking at me while eating. I would only cry later.”

And for that reason, he prefers to dine outside in that way he can always take a walk as a temporary remedy to boredom and homesickness. And we have the same reason. If I cannot invite a friend to dine with me, I go out, dine in a nearby fast food chain, and take a walk back home. Ergo, I am relieved! Refreshed!
There is another one good thing about this activity: we can talk to people.

Talking to people releases stress. It relieves us from psychological imbalances we feel everyday. This is pursuant to the theory that all humans no matter how introvert he may be, is a social being. Social wellness plays a great role in here.
Walking around gives you the view of the world: the street beggars chasing good Samaritans, the couples you come across who are oblivious of the world around them, the car accidents or street fights or crimes you witness along, the wayward tourists – all these profoundly profess that everything on earth can be learned and adjusted with.

Arguably, taking a walk gives us the opportunity to give one thing a second look or an idea a second thought before finally making decisions.

Having said that, I come to realize that taking a walk does not only belong to the weary overseas Filipino workers; this also belongs to people from all walks of life: the perturbed petite lady in the Palace by the river, the mentally-dehydrated congressmen and senators, ailing politicians and cabinet members, actors and actresses, etc., etc., etc.

If Madam Gloria takes a walk at least half-a-kilometer every morning before plunging into her routine Palace works, then surely she could think twice before venturing into deals thus avoiding misdeals later that would stream her down from the cloud nine she designed for herself and her family. She could avoid “mental lapses” every election time.

If our congressmen and senators take a walk at least half-a-kilometer every morning before venturing into sessions, then effectively they could think twice as much as they can before banging on issues that could imperil the country’s national and international agenda. They could avoid over-spending.

If all other politicians and cabinet secretaries take a walk at least half-a-kilometer every morning before undertaking local or domestic issues, then chances are local governance can be as lustrous as the shimmering sunlight of the new day. They could avoid project cost padding.

If all actors and actresses take a walk at least half-a-kilometer every morning before facing the limelight, then consequently the results of their actions and speeches can be as awesome as truly the work of art. They could avoid scandals of all sorts.

If all people take a walk at least half-a-kilometer every morning before performing any obligation, then the entire Philippines can be as healthy as the Paradise once created by The One sans the trendy Adam and Eve. Effectively, the political and the socio-economical world of the beautiful Philippines can be more than just dynamic and progressive than what we longed to be.

Then, why don’t we all take a walk now?