The Sway of the Hammock (Ugoy ng Duyan)

Last year, we went to the Philippines to visit our home there. One day, on our way to an excursion on the beach, along the road was a store that had native products like bags, slippers, brooms. Then we saw a hammock. We decided to buy it because it brought me back a lot of memories of my childhood. Back then we didn’t have many luxuries of the modern things that we use today. For example, swings, strollers, and walkers for babies and kids. For me, when I became a toddler, my family already had this hammock, which is called a duyan in Tagalog. My mom or my dad would carry me to the swing and put me to sleep while singing a lullaby. We had that hammock for as long as I could remember. It was also used for my oldest brother and my other younger siblings.

I was inspired to write this blog entry because I remembered the song “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” a Filipino lullaby, which means “swaying of the hammock.” The song is about the love and care of a mother to her child. The music was composed by Lucio San Pedro, and the lyrics were written by Levi Celerio. Both of them were national artists of the Philippines.

Last year we hung this hammock in the pergola that my husband made in our backyard patio. It was perfect because the vine that covered the pergola served as a shaded area for the swing. I spent a lot of time relaxing there after a stressful day at work or sipped cocktails under a moonlit sky throughout the whole summer. At some time last year, my sister’s family from Canada visited us. Her kids enjoyed swinging in the hammock while eating s’mores that were toasted at the fire pit and played board games. Because we live miles away, it’s quite rare that we see each other, so we spent more time with them and caught up with each other’s lives.

Since we’re still hesitant to go somewhere because of the stressful events nowadays, our backyard patio is the perfect place to hang out in while enjoying the summer. The hammock is my favorite place to unwind and relax before and after work. I spent a lot of time reading my favorite books there, and it’s quite nice and relaxing.