When a person is unable to relax, moves about restlessly, or seems hit by odd behavior, he or she is often seen to be fidgeting or impatient.
In clearer understanding, fidgeting or impatience, according to experts, is associated with how stimulated or not stimulated we are, depending on our moods, the time and circumstance.
So, if you see a one drumming the fingers on the table, crossing or uncrossing the legs, biting the nails, put his hands in his pockets, remove them then put them back again, etc., that person fidgets.
How many times have you noticed persons aboard a public utility vehicle fidget? Never?
Say, try riding a jeep plying the Trancoville route in Baguio City. Some drivers of this route are popularly notorious for dilly-dallying when stopping by for passengers, for they usually halt for many minutes than what is necessarily needed to for them to stop.
These drivers even apply their modus operandi of honking and making signs of their hands even at passersby for them to come aboard when such passersby are going a different direction.
Those already aboard the jeep would glance at the driver, shake their heads, impatiently fidgeting at the antics of the drivers.
After driving away some distance where they first stopped, they’d halt their vehicles again, presuming there are would-be passengers around to pick up when fact of the matter is, only ghosts abound, while those already aboard have their blood pressure shooting up and boiling, late for appointments.
Oh well, as these drivers see it, they’re the kings of the road and let the passengers fidget and squirm on their seats while they drive and stop at their own leisure.
Ask police officers who direct traffic at Trancoville route, particularly the good police officers of Baguio City Police Office’s (BCPO) Station 2 and Station 6 and they’ll tell tales of how some Trancoville drivers have a penchant of stopping anywhere where they want, even at places not designated as pick-up for passengers.
Aha! That such a penchant makes these police officers fidget, get hot under the collar and impatiently forcing the police officers to shoo away these recalcitrant drivers, or else. . .
In all, however, one time or another, in the past or present, fidgeting had and will always be with us. We, mortals are prone to fidget or are impatient. Such behavior has come to the fore many instances.
Is fidgeting good or bad for us? It depends. The experts say it helps to keep the brain focused and make our minds productive. On the other hand, it can also cause the mind to wander and daydream, affect the way we respond to others, too. Or re-interpret things.
Fidgeting, says the experts, may be a result of boredom, anger, frustration, nervousness, agitation, time, circumstance or the combination of all.
Now wait a minute. Fidgeting can be caused by agitation and affects the way we respond to others?
Well, now, that exactly happened last Sunday to Pablito Abenoja ,59, from Pangasinan, when he overheard a man and a woman quarreling in their barangay as caused by agitation. It affected the way they responded to each other.
Pablito related the quarrel like:
Man: “Agsina tan! Kasla ka la a GOBYERNO . . . nagadu ti maiparit. . .
Woman: Nakarkaro ka ah! Kasla ka la a Politiko . . . puro kari . . . agsina tan!
See what fidgeting or impatience can do!
Fidgeting can keep the brain focused and make the minds productive? True, indeed, as Ah witnessed last Friday inside an elementary classroom somewhere in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). He was there as observer.
That Friday was nearing 4 o’clock and the students fidgeted to be released from their classroom and for them to go home. They were impatient, to say the least. But their teacher won’t have none of that and wasn’t finished with their subject matter yet. The good teacher was a stickler of time, and it wasn’t yet 4 o’clock on the dot.
“Before you go, I want someone who can give me names of things starting with the letter H.” A schoolboy from barangay Masla, Municipality of Tadian, Mountain Province, fidgetingly raised his arm to answer, and said, “Ma’am, things that start with letter H, are, habong, (flower) hapatos, (shoes) hayote, (chayote) hegpan, (door) henelas, (slippers), hintoron, (belt), himbaan, (church), etc.”
Fidgeting, the teacher exclaimed to the Masla schoolboy, “Hala! Itukdom! Hilo (zero) nan gradom. (Now, sit down. Your grade will be zero.)”
Then she said, “I want somebody to give me names of animals that start with the letter F.”
Another schoolboy, apparently from Bontoc, Mountain Province, impatient that the time was nearing 4 o’clock, abruptly stood up shouted, “Fakes (monkey), fato (duck), Fuwaya (crocodile), faka (cow), fusa (cat), feklat (boa constrictor), futog, (pig) etc.”
Ah, who, too, traces his roots in Bontoc, Mountain Province, also stood up applauded the Bontoc schoolboy, but he was reprimanded by the teacher who admonished him, saying, “Ah, fangoren kan tofay! Hala, itukchom.” (Ah, I’ll knock your head! Sit down.)
This time, the teacher was really getting fidgety with the answers of her students, yet let loose another question. “Who among you, my dear pupils can give names of vegetable starting with the letter L?”
A schoolboy, this time from Buguias Municipaility, Benguet Province, impatiently stood up and without ado, said,” Vegetables that start with the letter L, are, laddish (radish), lepolyo (cabbage), wada abbey led (red) ay kamatis, led (red) ay belpepel (bellpepper), etc.”
Teacher: “Ay, pelmi kayo ya! Anyway, can anyone give names of things that start with the letter H?”
A schoolboy arose from his seat and thundered, “I’ll answer Ma’am, and you’ll release us from the classroom?”
“Sure,” assured the patient teacher. The schoolboy said, “Things that start with letter H, are, “hinturon, (belt), hinelah, (slippers), hapatoh, (shoes), hagayhay, (comb), hugod (fine comb), hambag (bag), etc.” The boy, apparently, was from Bauko, Mountain Province.
Experts also claim fidgeting can cause the mind to wander and daydream. Caramba, these experts really hit the nail right on the head. For such exactly happened to these soldiers as narrated by Ms. Monya Hantiban.
Monya narrated to Ah that one time in their barangay, Agdao, in the municipality of Malasiqui, Pangasinan, three soldiers and a policeman went a-courting. In front of the mother of the girl, each promised that:
Army man: “Nu siak ti mapili diay balasang yu, sigurado nga adda isuna iti natalged a kasasaad.” (If I’ll be chosen by your daughter, she’ll be in a peaceful state.)
Air Force man: “Nu siak ti mapili tay balasang yu, ipasyar ko isuna idiay tangatang.”
Marine” Nu siak ti mapili diay balasang yu, ipasyar ko isuna ti intero a Pilipinas.”
Policeman: “Nu siak ti mapili diay balasang yu, natalna ken protektado ti masakbayan na.”
Unfortunately, since the four fidgeted in courting, they found out to their woe they lost when the girl’s mother informed them, “Ay ket nabaybayag kayon! Kibit kayo ngamin nga kibit ti balikat yo! Intaray diay barangay tanod diay balasang ko idi rabii . . . Sorry. . . “
