By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
I would wake up at the break of dawn. 3:00 to 4;00, give or take. Struggle to the CR. Then get drinking water to rinse my mouth. Drink the water where a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds was soaked 8 to 10 hours before . That is for cleansing

. Freshen up by splashing cold water on the face, the eyes, wipe the back of neck with the hand wet with cold water, including the shoulders, the back of the ears, the elbows down to the hands, and the knees all the way down to the ankles. By the time I am done, I feel so fresh, ready to take on the world.
But actually, taking a full bath would be better. Not so many, however, can do that at that time.
Then meditate. That is the best time when the rest of the environment has still to stir to wake up. So silent. So peaceful. As you communicate or try to feel your God.
About 30 minutes after, you feel rejuvenated and relaxed. Fresh for a new day. And at peace with the world. Or the universe if you will.
For you to be able to do the process every day, you have to be fit. A daily exercise is needed.
In my case I do yoga exercises for the cleansing and strengthening of the whole body, particularly the glands. So, on to the stretching, bending, twisting. All with proper breathing.
The process is done, rain or shine. 7 days a week. Typhoon or no typhoon. Only when am not feeling well or due to other unavoidable reasons do I skip the routine. By the time I am done each morning, the rice I earlier put on the stove at a very low flame would have been cooked.
Extreme lifestyle? Not really. It is not so different from that of a soldier or policeman, or others conscious about keeping fit, who have to go jogging every early morning.
It was not also so different from your grandparents. Or for us who are already old, our parents. They woke up at the break of dawn to start the day of preparing the food for the pigs and other animals. Before the sun is up in the sky, they are already walking towards the farm. Or farm chores were already being done in earnest. Their work was exercise in itself.
For us though who are supposed to be modern, exercise is another matter as work might mean sitting the whole day in front of a desk or a computer. Or doing other things doctors may classify as parts of a sedentary life. Without a scheduled exercise at another time, before or after, the body would slowly deteriorate.
By the time you are seriously concerned with your body, you would already be being told by people in white robes and stethoscopes to pop in pills of various sizes and colors. Some would be before meals. Others would be after meals.
And so we have come this far. We now celebrate the coming of dialysis machines everywhere in the Cordillera. Even in remote places. Unthinkable in the past.
Thus, comes back again the teenager lady contestant, a cancer survivor, in America’s Got Talent belting out: “This is my fight song, get back my life song…”
It would have been a lot better though if we did not have to fight in that context. Or for us to have been healthy in the first place.**