BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Forced out of their natural habitat – training facilities and competition arenas – due to quarantine, volleyball players turned to what they love most – reading.
Charo Soriano, Amy Ahomiro and Amanda Villanueva shared their latest reads while on isolation brought by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, trying to get inspiration in these trying and dangerous times.
Soriano, co-founder of the Beach Volleyball Republic whose main task is help develop the sport in the country, said she stumbled into “Tribes” by Seth Godin while going over her bookshelves the past weeks.
“Reading it again now, I realize just how profoundly simple and moving Seth Godin’s words are,” she said.
“I’ve seen these ‘tribes’ daily in countless tweets, articles and online views: tribes that come together, connected by one idea, believing that one small act of kindness during this time can have a ripple effect, and can ultimately make a difference and change lives. Tribes that have faith – in each other and in humanity.”
Soriano said the message of the book was timely as the world battles through the global health crisis: No man is an island.
“This isn’t about who has the greatest idea, but who is actually passionate enough to take initiative and make things happen,” she said, encouraging people to find their “tribe”.
“It can be neighbors whom you sing with from your window… or a group of people who are producing personal protective equipment (PPEs). What’s important is you reach out to a group who share the same beliefs as you and find some ways, little or big, to make this world better.”
At the moment, Soriano has been continuously working with fellow volleyball players with their “Volleyball Community Gives Back to the Philippines”, a fundraiser aimed at producing PPEs through selling jerseys and other sports memorabilia.
Like Soriano, former Ateneo standout Ahomiro is finding comfort in her copy “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom, a memoir about the author’s series of visits to his former professor.
“Reading this book while in quarantine has actually inspired me to get in contact with people who have impacted my life in the past and to also continue to nurture the relationships I have today,” she said.
Ahomiro said the global health situation made her realize never to take for granted the relationships she has with people who brought impact in her life, be it big or small.
Villanueva said the book, “Science of the Mind” by Ernest Holmes, gave her hope for the future.
“We may think that the world has no direction at the moment, but in truth, this season is a redirection to a mindful living and thinking, hence a divine intervention,” she said.
Villanueva said it is important to keep in touch with one’s self during the pandemic, seeking “guidance of your own voice to get the level you envision yourself to be in.”
“With the escalation of the pandemic, it only proves that the physical world is in constant change and the only thing we can control is ourselves that encompasses our thoughts, spirit, mind and soul,” she said.
“Who we are and what we can become in this world are the only things that we can hold on to.”
