![IMG20220705164336.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoAan2CNbwwTEyj2zsg3LKc2dhRViHFACLuvrVxuBqXcH3mV1pdpS2NwEwrC3bC5mih.jpg)

**The way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.** — *Miyamoto Musashi*

[//]:# (!pinmapple 10.730786 lat 124.800775 long Garden Orchard d3scr)

The end of June has been pretty scary, and it continued to ripple inside of me. Most of the times, we can be a dreamer and adamant of the future, but on rare days, we can be questioning our very existence and as to why we keep chasing hopes.

About ten years ago, I had so much hope in life, so thrilled to do all things at once and achieve success as fast as possible. It wad fairly easy as I had so many opportunities waiting for me and people ready to lend a hand whenever I needed it.

Fastforward at halfway in 2017, several things happened that gradually crippled me until now. Though I took all of it in positivity, it lingered to me that I suppressed that thought that I repetitively made wrong decisions in life that lead me here now.

Pre-2018 has been a life of abundance, but gradually declined to this date—the shock just has been realized only recently, when the global inflation began hurting even those who were so-called *sustainable*.

Like most areas in the Philippines, our farm and orchard were successively battered by super storms in December 2021 and in April 2022, we still need to wait for at least a year before the properties can recover.

Unlike last year's season, right now, it is more difficult to grow crops and to combat the effects of nature, I needed to hasten the changes at one of our orchard.

![Improved garden soil with more organic matter.](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoCja7wwD3FQhELnYkJN3n2NWJ59awvYj1YGw7xJYfTRg5g9ayZ9hKd7HQ4eU6Rxfoj.jpg)

## Stronger Resiliency

Filipinos has been romanticized as happy people, even in after catastrophes we can paint smiles and laughter amid the suffering—I can attest to that common behavior.

Happiness is a state-of-mind, but is different from satisfaction. Filipinos are generally not satisfied in life and the system, and this dissatisfaction leads us to just smile it off.

On one conversation with an economist, I was taken aback, upon hearing her perspective that unemployed individuals are not allowed to voice out ires against the government since they are neither contributing any direct forms of services to the nation nor paying taxes.

That is wrong and ill-worded. There are unemployed individuals who are feeding the nation through agriculture and other services, and the mandates of the both national and local government units directly affects the lives of those below them—it is fairly equal to informally voice out as a relief, but paid protests is a totally different thing.

Now with the economic collapse, it is unsafe to whine for nothing. Instead, more effort is in needed than usual.

![IMG20220705163540.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoeFKdfCtCVYc2PYpUjg7aLE6Cas1UoLtd1nqGvihqs1T9AcXdmeQJ3ZvkSvyhYYvCi.jpg)

## Sustainability for Sustenance

Even before the pandemic, my father has given us an opportunity to be closer with nature by initiating the concept of buulding a food forest before it became a thing in our region—two orchards full of fruits when in season, but after the Super Typhoon Yolanda 'Haiyan' in 2013, that changed.

Most fruit trees were fallen and is almost a decade, the orchards were having a hard time top recover, but right now, my mother is managing the farm and I am working on one of our orchard to make it work again.

My childhood has been a positive nostalgia of countryside living and abundance. Now, it is just difficult financially and the properties and weather conditions aren't cooperating—not yet.

> Sustainability as a lifestyle is so different with it for immediate sustenance!

Although we are practicing sustainability for decades already, we are not offgrid, and we still have dependence in the economy. With the rising prices, even the basic needs has become too costly to afford.

So far, after more than a year of efforts at the orchard, I was able to improve the soil quality. Instead of burning the fallen trees and leaves from the storms, I put it back to the soil to mulch and possibly decay into organic matter.

Less than an inch of organic matter has now settled on top of the *hard* soil at the orchard compared to the eroding soil when I came here. But is far from over, there are so much to do with just a little window before whatever new global chaos that might occur in the future.

Recently, the garden within the orchard was downsized. One improvement was the successfuly moving of one raised bed, next would be augmenting the older raised beds woth more soil and organic matter, then landscaping is the very last in the list—though surely it is still part of the plan.

## Budding Harvests

Though recovery is imminent, there is no guarrantee. Labor is essential, but hope and persistence is also vital.

I remember being interviewed about our organic practices in our properties early this year, and I said that sustainability is not profitable in the beginning of the journey, but it is rewarding in the long run.

![IMG20220705171800.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/23y8t668WHWTQkyNiEHvfUiYEkiP5cpyvWrQCPkcNSqCGb2swTKhGvNkNRvanFV3QAVF2.jpg)

A few days ago, I harvested a small bunch of bananas tucked away from the direct sunlight below the young fruit trees and coconuts. Though it wouldn't sell, due to its physical appearance, I take its growth amid disadvantages as motivation to become resilient in this trying times.

How about you? Share your sustainability *wins* in the comment section below.

---

**PINNED POST**
| ![](https://images.hive.blog/220x110/https://images.ecency.com/DQmZXYzrNhSPh8LSQY5niwsxHGAzHQFW8pqnGSAXPfEWwiW/img_0.7549093016026628.jpg) | **[Clearing the Damage After the Storm](https://peakd.com/hive-123046/@oniemaniego/clearing-the-damage-after-the-storm-or-loy-bukid)** <br> Instead of falling into anxiety, it took time to make use of what the storm had given. |
|---|---|

---

<br>

## <center>**About Me**</center>

[@oniemaniego](https://peakd.com/@oniemaniego/posts) is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.

| | |
|-|-|
| ![](https://images.hive.blog/250x250/https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/AK56DadC1L6p7r5ZNNqMrNNgZ9bjzYSf1EydqkE1sFgwtjgmpFhPUhrvcUfRpnj.png) | Onie Maniego / Loy Bukid was born in rural Leyte. He is often visits his family orchards during the summers and weekends, which greatly influenced his works. |

<br>

<center>[Follow on Instagram](https://instagram.com/loy.bukid)</center>

<br>

---

<center>
## Donate with Crypto
**Bitcoin** 34hdQNHHFUodqegi2wwNeNw2p35ewvnaXQ
**Ethereum** 0xd36126ab2463c3404cca1c97d8f3337917dfd113
</center>

---

<br>

<center>**© 2022 Onie Maniego and Loy Bukid**</center>

<br>

---
<center>*Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow me.*<br>**Not yet on Hive?** Earn while blogging.<br>**[Sign Up](https://peakd.com/register?ref=oniemaniego)**</center>