Looking back again

by Baby Joy T. Joven

    There was a girl sitting under the tree. She was looking into the distance, overlooking the green surroundings, and taking a deep breath while listening to the chirping of birds and feeling the touch of the wind. Looking back at how life before was easy, she reminds herself of herself enjoying the life of a kid compared to the life of a young adult. Way back when she was a kid, she was full of unforgettable memories that no one could steal. Playing in the mud and paddling in the rain, seemingly unaffected by anything. There's a welcome biscuit and something more when family members from Manila return home for vacation. Together, they will occasionally head to the river to soak up the cool water while listening to the sound of the water running. It's so delicious to eat jackfruit with sardines at the side of a river. When the school year ends, her cousins get together to play games such as “hide-and-seek, tumbang-preso, and patintero" among other traditional Pinoy recreational activities. Those are the memories she always wants to make again. But she realized that life becomes completely different when you enter your 20s, and there are things that should be prioritized before that. When another morning came, she was hit by the reality that life changes when you grow. After that, she left her bed to wash her face, brush her teeth, take a bath, and comb her hair. She faced again the life of a grown individual, where she works for herself and for her family to support their needs at home and every day. Life’s getting old when she realizes that what she needs to do is strive for success.

Genre: Short Fiction Story

Theme/s: Nostalgia