Sunday strolls around campus

Tired after commuting from Church, I rush to my bed with a heart full of thanksgiving for the opportunity to hear God's Word. John 15. I decide to take a power nap of at most an hour and 30 minutes. Without even washing my face or changing my clothes, I am taken to the colorful world of dreams.

I then wake up with refreshed eyes. Groggy after the power nap, I go to the bathroom to wash my face with cold water. Ah, this feeling of freshness! I return to my room, put on my eyeglasses, and look at my window: the sun hasn't set yet. It's a damp, cloudy day, I reckon--the perfect time to go strolling around campus. Without hesitation, I open my locker and grab my newly charged batteries which immediately get inserted into my camera.

Along the way, I meet familiar faces. First, there's Paul, my number one reader--haha. "Hi," I greet him cheerfully.

"Where are you going?" he asks with eyebrows raised, but before I answer the question, he answers it himself. "Ah, you're going around UP and take pictures." He suspiciously looks at my camera, and I melt his heart with my warm smile--haha.

"How'd you know? Yes, that's what I'm going to do." He tells me he wants to come, and I obligingly give an affirmative answer.

Just as we're passing by the Engineering Complex, approaching the intersection where the traffic lights are, we see Kuya John strolling alone.

"Kuya John!" We shout in unison. Kuya John hears us and immediately comes near.

"Y'want to stroll with us?" I ask. He beams and nods and says yes.

I then take pictures with my camera. I go on like this for the next hours or so. It then gradually gets dark because the sun has hid itself from view. The muffled sound of crickets in the background shifts my memories to a wonderful place. I remember it's like this in my grandmother's house in the province. How I miss South Cotabato.

"It's been a long day," I tell my friends minutes, and they smile in agreement. "I'm so hungry. Let's eat dinner." They accept my invitation, and we find ourselves on our way to Lola Lita's--the famous restaurant in the UP Shopping Center--and we eat to our heart's delight. Yes, I'm not starving myself, contrary to popular belief.

As I write this, I realize how wonderful the experience has been, "If strolling with friends around campus is this much fun, how much more will my happiness be when I eventually stroll with my God in the golden highways of Heaven?"

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TAGGED AS: updiliman