![IMG_20250501_174915.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/23uFXznyzkJ7VDrSV6f5QAR1VDVYgyQAbzYE9vNkMiahzGXFkEbyrJnrGXDG6HXXgNNUp.jpg)

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So these past days, I've really been in a rush. I literally have almost no rest in everything I do. I even got a shorter sleep not because I slept late, but because I woke up too early, like 2:00 A.M. early. It's almost just a five-hour sleep which was pretty short compared to the sleeping hours I needed. With demos and lesson plans raining on my way, I almost have no time for anything else. So yesterday, since today's a holiday I decided to take a break from my usual routine. Like I said last week, I'm a classroom-to-home person, so obviously it's apparent I don't divulge myself much with after-school activities.
![IMG_20250430_180945.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/EppJn4s4o6f6zZni6MgWMVzZPGbpcRH2NqhqxsEnWcXaJyLZ2MYjF4ficJ26djPqbqX.jpg)

However, yesterday was another exception because I decided to stay back and relax for a while while eating my favorite street food. Also, I decided to walk my way home not only to save money but also to have a *me-time*. I don't know but I'm the kind of person that enjoys my own presence much. I'm not a group person because I prefer to have more time with myself rather than talking to other people. But yes, there are times I *socialize* with my group and also my classmates because it's a must if you're a future educator <sub>*sigh*</sub>. Anyway, I always end up draining my social battery afterward but still, those tries were worth it because slowly my endurance in socializing is now improving. 
![IMG_20250430_180753.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/EqNFk7R3jFxJt9u546a3sL22offgGGfx9kwXUQWxhRQ6z35u695FacFaPozD5i3J5Q5.jpg)

So much for that, I started my hike way past 4:00 P.M. The sun was still up and the hotness of its rays was undeniably scorching. Thankfully, I had my jacket and cap on so I wasn't that affected by the harshness of the rays, but its heat was another thing. I was already damped with sweat even though I had just started walking, and to relieve myself from the heat, I stopped for a while and drank a little water. While drinking I saw a withered tree across the street, and despite its withering state, it still radiated with proud beauty. The leaves that were shed by the tree were burned by the residents near it and as I walk across the smoke I can't help but cough because it is so thick. 
![IMG_20250430_181004.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/EokbfQwtEKJqSarm5J1EMCkxD9EhxrUsbMKurbsVAiUJ9ndYfiLCFtwkWCHppUfW7iy.jpg)

Thankfully after a few more minutes of walking, the heat subsided—*or was it just my body had already adapted to it?* Occasionally there's wind that blows my way, and as I walk I notice how many flowers have already bloomed. There are several kinds of flowers, and all of them look beautiful. Yesterday's the last day of April so naturally, the flowers had already started to bloom. I even met elderly women carrying plastic flowers that they said they would use for decorating their chapel for the upcoming *Flores de Mayo*. Just hearing them made me reminisce about my younger days when I attended summer classes in our chapel during the mornings and in the afternoon I also participated in the rosary and the giving of flowers to Mama Mary for the whole month of May. 
![IMG_20250430_181159.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/Eq9WJX2vTiT8Ux3YfJJHgsE5AKQNzn8NwD1RG8KFNQfvGsrw6aQYaD1sXKX18Ea6WBh.jpg)

Remembering those times doesn't only bring back the happiness I felt before, but also the melancholy in remembering that those moments had already passed. Time flew so fast that it was almost the end of my second year in college, and while walking yesterday, I pondered on the things that I've done for the past two years. And honestly, I didn't remember a day when I fully relaxed. The abundance of things that needed to be done was inexhaustible, but still, those were fruitful years. Those years made me experience a lot of new things—things that I didn't expect I would experience during my college years. 
![IMG_20250430_181106.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/EqNFEpLrnh2yKKsFfXdQqsGhJLLdQzP6D73fXZET7QLUQfXSVjngcqn7xycATPZ282S.jpg)

So much for realizations, I never expected that my walk would wake up my philosopher side *haha*. I smiled when I realized that I got caught up in my unexpected reflection episode again. I looked up to shake those overthinking thoughts that were starting to dwell in me, and unexpectedly I saw the tamarind tree full of fruits. Another core memory was again unlocked, but I just shook it off. Enough of my sentiments, I just hope that this month won't be so sour as those tamarinds that were hanging above me. But anyway a little sourness would add flavor... yet hopefully just a little, yeah, only a little...*please*.
![IMG_20250430_181240.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ridgette/EpXJRZPwrEF3yMjpymju3SnzMbr41drFVbvk7AEUWhqcLt51RzhuNJrE9QRscwKznVp.jpg)

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<sub>*Most of the pictures that were used were taken by yours truly, **ridgette** while the first picture was edited in [Canva](https://www.canva.com/design/DAGmMOYzYY8/lALYpO-X1O9g-HYi4vmklw/edit?utm_content=DAGmMOYzYY8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton).*</sub>