Keep Walking..

In an effort to somehow counterbalance the effects of sitting in an office chair for 8 hours during a typical work night, I started the habit of walking every morning after my shift. Instead of taking the Fort Bus, I let my own two feet take me from our office building all the way to Metro Market! Market! where Kulot's office is located, so we can meet up and take the short jeepney ride from there to our house together. He supports this because he thinks it's my only chance to bask in some sunlight and not be so pale anymore. Apart from the health benefits of this less than 15-minute walk, I've also come to enjoy passing through Bonifacio High Street and Serendra on my daily route home. Only the coffee shops and donut shops would be open during my usual stroll, and the place is still serene. (I am thankful that the other shops and businesses are still closed during the usual time that I pass by there, because I might just spend all my money at Fully Booked. But the "Sorry, We Are Closed" sign doesn't stop me from lingering at the store front and lovingly eyeing the wide array of books on display.)

I like the atmosphere there in the morning when the people I encounter are not in a rush, most of them just doing the same thing as I am, trying to catch the early rays of sunlight. I would pass by joggers, brisk walkers, people walking their dogs or pushing a baby carriage, and sleepy-eyed residents of the nearby condominiums on their way for a coffee and pastry run. I usually encounter celebrities too: actors, politicians, TV personalities. But none of them so far are gawk-worthy so I don't even do a double take, except for that one time when I encountered the husband of a tiny former Philippine president, who walked by me with an old-ish socialite lady. I stared a bit longer because I was wondering why they're out and about without any bodyguards, but a few paces past them I finally saw a tough- and official-looking plainclothes guy whom I figured was the security detail of that gentleman and his lady companion. The bodyguard even greeted me with the standard,"Good morning, ma'am" when he saw me looking at his boss. It was just a couple of weeks after Christmas then, and I had an inside joke with myself, wondering what the security guy would have done with me if I had come up to the First Gentleman with palms outstretched and said "Ninong, Merry Christmas! Can I have my taxes back please?" Believe me, I was tempted.