AFTERNOON NAPS – A PHILIPPINES LIFESTYLE

My Dad over 50 years ago

In recent years, I have always loved naps. I loved to lie down after a nice lunch and let the time pass as I dozed.  Never really falling asleep, but never fully conscious seemed to be the byproduct of my dayturnal rest cycle. When I was a preschooler, during the months of winter when the snow and cold limited one’s ability to work outside, my father would take afternoon naps in front the large picture window in our living room. Even though the suns angle was low during January, its radiance created just enough heat to warm the floor my dad was sleeping upon. Since he was blind, the irritating light had no effect upon him. .  At that young age, naps were at the bottom of my list of youthful activities, but I was still too young for school and the only way dad could corral me was to make me lay down on the couch and at least rest. 

Trike Driver outside Market - Bago City

In many tropical lands, the warmth of midday always finds the masses taking a break from their daytime activities, allowing them to rest while sheltered from the solar simmering without.  Some would sit and drink native coffee while others would savor a little Tanduay (Rum) to while the hours away as heat waves rippled across the land.  Still others, I would consider those of the majority, found refuge upon beds, couches, benches and chairs. Their eyes closed to the World surrounding them; perhaps an illusory escape from the realities of life and living. 

Slow Banana Day in Binalbagan

One of the reasons I have always loved the Philippines is because of their nap structure. They may have jobs, they may have occupations, but they are unable to avoid that momentary lapse into a cycle that has existed within its culture for centuries.  While living here in the seventies, I came to appreciate their uncomplicated lifestyle and especially their afternoon respites. When I finally returned in 2009, I discovered that, even though they had acquired many of our modern technologies, they had not been able to escape those afternoon rest periods. Whether it was in the mall, at the bus terminal, or in the market, the psychological heat of the midday (whether physically experienced or not) always had its desired effect.  

Sometimes those clothes are so soft & comfy. ZZZZ!

I had become more aware of that fact in late 2010 and started documenting it with photos. It was hard to capture people in the malls as most had limited hallway seating. But in the markets and terminals, the opportunities were plentiful. Maybe it was from boredom or lack of business which caused the eyelids to become heavy; slowly succumbing to the brains coaxing.  Personally, I think it was because that’s how the human brain was originally wired. I think everyone was mentally programmed that way, but somehow the industrialized nations of the World had gotten their citizens to turn that subconscious programming off. 

A group nap at Ayala Mall in Cebu City

Case in point, remember when we were in kindergarten for half days in the states and we all had to lay down on our mats and take a short nap? Then the next year, you had a WHOLE day of school and you were not allowed to have that nap (when you really wanted one).  Let’s face it, learning was exciting, but also tiring at times. As the years of schooling progressed, the opportunity for a noontime rest continued to be denied until finally the circuit was disconnected and the programming was complete. 

Still the Philippines had maintained that link.  It had continued to live a lifestyle where naps were an

Nap time along Nat'l Hwy outside Naga City, Cebu

integral part of its very culture.  That was one of the many things I always admired about the Philippines. It had always endeavored to keep up with a modern World across its cluster of islands, but never sacrificed the ideals which set it apart from the other nations.  This leaves me to wonder if our globe would be healthier and more peaceful if everyone was required to take a thirty minute nap after lunch.

It must be noontime - my adopted kids with photo ambitions