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Siyam na puso


SIYAM na dalaginding ang nag-abot sa ‘kin sa hati ng kanilang puso… iniingatan ko hanggang ngayon, maganda kasing palatandaan.

Sa pagbasa ng kapalaran sa baraha, katuparan ng kahilingan ang kahulugan kapag lumitaw na kasama ang siyam na puso mula binalasa’t inilapag na hanay ng mga baraha.

240 ang mga kabataang iyon ng Sta. Clara High School—nasa isang hulong barangay, nakapagitan sa magkabilang hanay ng kabundukan sa Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya… walang WiFi, walang cell phone signal, walang Facebook… and a boulder-studded emerald river that waters the wide swathes of rice paddies runs through that valley…

Nagbigay kami ng pagsasanay… leadership and team-building… 11 obstacle and challenge courses… napatoka sa akin ang paksa sa human development— na naipihit pa rin sa hilig ko, sex…

Sa mahigit 4,000,000 spermatozoa na magkakarera tungo sa iisang gantimpalang ovum, iisa lang ang magwawagi… upang mabuo ang sanggol. That makes every individual a born-winner, not the typical one-in-a-million victor but one who has prevailed in a race for life over a few millions… get that into your head, grab that as a winning attitude for life… and you’re set.

Mula salagmak na higa, ipinakita upang sundan ng mga bata ang pagbangon… at pagtindig. That shows once you’re down, the ground holds you in a most restful, stable position, and there’s no way but up… such a simple physical task—quite an ordeal for those with back problems or joint pains—points up a sense of direction for the taking.

On one’s feet, there ought to be extensions and expansions to strive for… to realize full dimensions and capacities of psyche and sinew… so I had to goad them to engage themselves in chores and challenges, great and small… work with a variety of tools in a variety of spheres of activity.

Such tasks strengthen the body, steel the mind, so I point out as we go through a mélange of stretching motions… I don’t do a lecture; I make my audience go through physical drills… the body learns a body of knowledge imparted via body language.

All it takes to make a leader is to have followers… I led those kids in a maze of moves, they followed (uh, that makes me a leader) as I explained away what those moves can lead to, whatever’s to be gleaned thereat.

‘Kakahingal at ‘kakagutom ang ganitong paraan ng pagsasalin ng kabatiran—ni hindi nga umabot sa 30 minuto ang ibinigay na panayam sa kawan ng kabataang nakabilad sa araw… ayoko namang masunog ang balat nila. (Pero pinababalik ako sa kanilang lupalop dahil bitin daw sila, ‘langya talaga.)

Sa huling yugto ng pagsasanay, ginanyak ang mga bata na ipagkaloob ang kabiyak ng pusong papel na ipinamahagi sa kanila… ihandog ang kabiyak sa sinuman na, sabi nga’y someone who had touched your heart in the course of the training… sa kasamang kaibigan at kamag-aral napasalin ang mga puso… pero nakarami pala ako no’n, may mga dalaginding na nasaling ko ang puso sa ginawang panayam at pagpag-kuripagpag ng katawan.

Tatlong aralin lang ang ipinakita: (1) You were a born winner; (2) You can fail or fall, but that should nudge you to stand anew, stand tall; (3) On your feet, extend and expand every which way you can, that’s the way to go.

Talk-chalk is cheap. Body language is lots more fluently eloquent.

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