Galaw -

We are born with Galaw . Watch a toddler in a provincial fiesta . They don’t need a lesson plan. Their hips move because the drums are loud. Their hands clap because the air is happy. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we freeze. We become matigas ang katawan (stiff-bodied). We trade the fluidity of galaw for the rigidity of routine. There is an unwritten rule in Filipino psychology that I call the Tatlong Segundo (Three Second) rule of Galaw .

Galaw is the subtle sway of a jeepney driver’s shoulders as he navigates a pothole. It is the sabay (the groove) of a group of kids playing patintero in a dusty alley. It is the involuntary tapping of a finger against a wooden table when someone starts humming an Eraserheads song.

Galaw na. What does "galaw" mean to you? Is it a dance? A survival tactic? A morning ritual? Drop a comment below—but only after you’ve stretched your fingers first. We are born with Galaw

There is a word in the Filipino lexicon that feels like a muscle twitching under the skin. It is not just "move." It is not just "action." It is Galaw .

When something breaks, your first instinct should be subukan (to try). Not to call a repairman. Not to buy a new one. Move your hands. Take the screwdriver. You might fail. But ang galaw (the movement) is the point. Galaw as Love Here is the most important part. We often think of love as a feeling. Nararamdaman (felt). But in the trenches of a relationship, love is galaw . Their hips move because the drums are loud

Love is getting up to lock the door because your partner fell asleep. Love is walking to the sari-sari store to buy palaman (spread) for pandesal even though you are tired. Love is the physical act of turning your head to look at someone when they speak.

Stop scrolling. Stand up. Roll your neck. Take a deep breath. We become matigas ang katawan (stiff-bodied)

That is Galaw as a social contagion. Action inspires action. We are living through the Great Freeze. We scroll. We watch. We react with a "heart" emoji, but our bodies remain horizontal on the couch. We confuse reaction (a click of a mouse) with galaw (a shift of the spine).