A MORNING'S WALK - PLUS ONE CHALLENGE

It's the usual morning walk but this time with a difference.  I decided to climb higher up the hill! Yes, I knew that the slopes could and would be mighty steep and the roads not in tip-top shape unlike those on the ground..... but sometimes you just have to be foolishly in love with Mother Nature to do the silly thing other people my age wouldn't do. :-)

And so, on with the morning walk and climb............... 

 

 The first trek up the hill. Oh no, this isn't a deserted place. It's a subdivision (you know that already) but situated by the side of a mountain... or a hill... whatever. 

 

See the lady there sweeping the front of her home. She does that every morning everyday. And so do her neighbors.  Rounding that bend there will take me to the next incline up the hill.

  

The thick mass of trees on the right is a forest conservation area.  You can hear a chorus of birds with their usual morning concerto. They never miss a note. Music to the ears!

 

Dark?  The sun hasn't filtered through the trees yet. It's biding its time coming out from behind the other side of the mountain. No worries; residential houses line the street on the left. They're up early ... in fact I could smell the hot dogs and sausages being prepared for their school kids' breakfast. :-) 

  

That looks flat to you??  On the contrary. That is quite steep... STEEP!  So I had to move slow. This was when I thought --- a wooden staff would be helpful this time as it would serve as my third leg. To aid my legs which felt like crumbling under this ordeal.  Almost made me think -- 'what was I thinking... going up the hill!?!!' Aaarrgghhh.... !!!

 

Nearing the top now.... Was I thankful to be in my rubbers as each step was  a sure needed grip on that steep slope.  Was very careful because of the many dry leaves, some decaying and could be slippery, spread out on the road like carpet. heheheh..... :-)

  

Made it!! And that tree there seemed to be smiling at me with --- 'Congratulations, kiddo! Welcome to the top of the hill!'  :-) 

  

And so did the sun say 'Good job!' as it shone brightly through the trees. :-)

  

And I got more than I had hoped for ---  all these wonderful gorgeous flowers!  Words not enough to describe each one of them in all of their beauty and glory!! :-) ... :-)  I may not know their names, except for the famous ones, but it doesn't matter now.  Sufficient to say that nothing would or could ever compare to any of them as they showed off their most brilliant Mother-Nature-signature-smiles. My cup overflowed with joy and delight just looking at them! :-)

 

  

Well, after having had my fill and a wonderful time spent with Mother Nature...   I decided it was time to head back down the hill.   That again may look flat and level to you ... but that is a steep slope going down!!  I had to be extra careful lest I slide or roll down and end up with bashed bones and crushed ego!  The pull of gravity downwards is much more felt on a very steep slope such as this. Negotiating that slope can be quite tricky for a little ole lady like this one... heheheh :-) :-)

  

Whew!! Finally, back on ground level. 

  

And getting hot as the sun was now inching its way higher up to the skies.

  

A couple of blocks more to go and I'm Home!  This was such a lovely early morning walk!!!  :-) :-)

A lovely blessing from on high. Thank you!

 

 

FLOWERS GRACING MY EARLY MORNING WALK

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This morning I decided to do something different with my early morning walk ..... to take pictures of flowers down the paths winding round the hilly neighborhood.
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You see, sometimes we, in-spite of our brilliance, don't notice our surroundings as much as we really should. We simply gloss over the terrain not minding the many wonders, big and small, God placed in there for our enjoyment and pleasure.
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We know it's there but we take it all for granted. Just as we think that the trees around us will always be there and so pay no attention to them. Not realizing that even trees, or all of nature for that matter, also need our attention and care. They too, as we all know it, take care of the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the water that rains down on our fields.
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Life on this planet is a give-and-take. A symbiotic existence.... there is something you have that I need or something that I have that you need. An interdependent relationship between man and man... and man and nature.
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So this morning I decided to pay closer attention to my walk. And with heightened expectations hied off with the rising sun so eager to see lovely surprises packed into this particular morning landscape. By God's design.
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These pictures were taken with my phone. It could be better with the right tool I know........ but this little ole lady makes do with what she has. I think in this case, it is the object and not the tool which is magic...... magically Magnificent!
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Of course, the morning walk wouldn't be complete without the usual trip to the talipapa (market) for fruits... banana, lansones, mangoes, pineapple (later sliced and slid into the refrigerator to cool). Added to my basket too were.. golden squash, sweet potatoes and saging na saba.
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Great day.. indeed! Thank God!
May God bless you and your dear ones.

TODAY'S MORNING WALK AND MORE...

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I almost missed my morning walk today because it felt good staying in bed... rather overstaying... just feeling cozy and comfy.... the temptation was so great to sleep on. But..... habits are indeed hard to break. So I pushed myself up and out of bed grudgingly and gathered my morning-walk-stuff and walked out the door. Oh yes, I remembered to bring some money for some fruits and to pay my one-day-old debt with Mang Obet, the fruit vendor at the talipapa (market).
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Once I was out on the street the feeling of exhilaration returned and kept me moving at my usual pace and gait.
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You know, I've been at this for so long already that maybe you would be thinking by now that I have become quite jaded or bored with the landscape... both human and natural. Well, it's a yes on some days when the mood isn't there... but a no on most days when a small whisper from within reminds me that it's a beautiful world and life and that there is always something new to see everyday.
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The streets I walk on are the same ... perhaps worn and beaten in some parts through the years... but still good. The people I meet down those same paths are the same people too.... oh perhaps grayer in the hair... have put on some weight or lost a few.... have lost someone or gained a new one.... but still the same normal people in my same normal neighborhood.
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The trees, plants, flowers, animals... the flora and fauna, so to speak... of my neighborhood also seem the same.
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So I reply to that tiny voice inside... 'There's nothing new.' Immediately it comes out right back at me with.... 'You're not paying attention.'
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I'm NOT paying attention. --- I'm not paying ATTENTION.
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Oh boy! Okay, Mr. Tiny-Voice-Inside, let's see what you want me to see.
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From the top of the slope and looking down the road up ahead... it was nice watching the play of light and shadows as the sun began its ascent into the waiting sky. It's the newness of day which warms the soul.
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While I was admiring the view, somebody whisked past me in his jogging shoes and flew down ahead nodding a greeting at the man sweeping the garage of his home, and farther on till he was lost from sight. It's a nice neighborhood when a smile is freely given away like that.
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As I resumed my walk, I saw this bush by the road .. so pretty in its graceful leafy arch stretching out towards the street. Pretty in green! It reminds me of people whose wonderful friendships stretch across or beyond barriers of color, race, or religion.
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Not far from it was this ball-shaped plant and its spiky leaves thrusting out from its center. It's pretty. In fact, so beautiful. So much like life. Sometimes beauty can come from unexpected places.
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And then I came to this ugly stump of a tree. What remains of a once glorious and magnificent tree. Maybe we fail to understand it that these trees in its wonderful way help to keep the soil together thereby giving us the solid ground we walk on everyday. There's more to learn if we would just stop awhile and try to understand.
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Oh yes, that sign there. Garbage! It says 'No throwing of garbage in this area'. Speaks for itself. What about the garbage we find inside our heads... and hearts -- what do we do with it?
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See the plants thriving down on the ground? Talbos ng kamote. .... SCIENTIFIC NAME : Ipomoea Batatas. DESCRIPTION : The leafy part of the Camote plant is familiarly known as the Camote tops or Talbos ng Kamote, Thanks to that sign.. it IS thriving beautifully. ------ It's health benefits ---- It contains protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.

► Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.
► Regulates good bowel movements.
► Boost the immune system and thus helping to prevent infections and disease.
 
I have it with my meals almost everyday.
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And finally at the end of my walk, a quick trip to my favorite fruit vendor, Mang Obet. Bought a few mangoes, lansones, rambutan, chicos, oranges, bananas... and of course I paid my old debt of thirty pesos. We exchanged pleasantries spiced with his usual contagious smile. Gee, people are lovely!
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In your day there are many things to see.... the old becomes new, the new becomes more interesting, the interesting becomes much more amazing. Just pay attention. Life is beautiful! By God's design.
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Have a great and blessed day, folks! :-) God bless you!