ruminations from this corner: Summer 2014 (also, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty)

The summer of 2014 just whizzed by. I wasn't into it (meaning not doing the usual summer vacation stuff) until May came around. I feel guilty for not getting the kids into any summer class. not that they were complaining. I even suspect they liked it that way because they are not really fond of schedules and structured play. But I guess summer isn't supposed to just go by without the kids learning a new skill.

Well, I forced them to try skateboarding. All because of Walter Mitty, which I watched on the 16-hr flight from UAE to Brazil (and again on the home bound flight). That movie saved me from my anxieties about my then upcoming Brazil talk (in particular, and maybe a little about life in general, too). You see, I have this above normal fear of public speaking and I was feeling so anxious days leading to the trip.

For some reason, Walter Mitty calmed my fears. I can't exactly explain how and why. It was probably about perspective - a realization that I had nothing to lose even if the talk tanked (thankfully it didnt) because it was all part of an adventure. And what is life but a series of adventures. If you're not having any, then I guess that's pathetic. The purpose of life is to live it. To go out there. To pursue things that matter to you. To give it a go and give it your best while you're at it. Which was what I believed I was doing.

And that was a liberating thought.

Maybe it was the soundtrack. Or the landscape of Iceland. Or Sean Penn's character. Or Kristin Wiig singing Major Tom. Maybe it was the motto of Life magazine which was engraved in walter's wallet:

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

So. Back to the skateboard (I got sidetracked there a bit). I got the boys a skateboard in Dubai where we had a quick stopover from Brazil. I was hoping they'd love it and be great at it. Because after watching Walter Mitty, I have come to think of skateboarding as a life skill, similar to swimming. For example, if you need to run away from an exploding volcano in Iceland and there are no cars around, you'd thank God that you have a longboard which you actually know how to ride (but don't quote me on that, ok?)

So I was telling the kids to learn it and they did practice a lot. But after three weeks, they weren't really progressing. So I looked for skateboarding classes but couldn't find one. Maybe it's because you're supposed to learn skateboarding in your neighborhood, with your friends, by just riding on that board every day until you get it. Like how you learn riding a bike. There is no summer class for learning to ride a bike. So, the skateboard eventually got forgotten and they're back to riding their bikes. Which is also a lifeskill anyway.

Aside from the skateboarding, I also wanted them to see and appreciate artworks (and not just Adventure Time and other cartoon shows which can be argued as a form of art too). So I brought them to Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. Thank God for people who build a charming place like that, for people who make art a little bit more accessible and less intimidating for folks who can only think of Amorsolo as just a street in Makati. I like the art pieces on display, but I think I liked the landscaping of the place more. It had a rustic and organic feel. Plants were allowed to crawl, grow lush and stray. My kind of garden and my kind of place. Don't ask me though if the boys enjoyed it as much as I did.

Our only true summer getaway this year though was Pico de Loro. I like that place. I like any place where the mountains meet the sea. And I like Nasugbu in particular. We all in the family do. I'm glad we were able to make a trip to the beach just before school started . Because a summer vacation without a beach trip is doomed to become one of childhood's greatest infamies.

So I guess Summer 2014 wasn't bad at all.