I am out in the elements everyday. Between commuting on a motorcycle to work, to walking when distance dictates, and open windows in the house, Singapore’s weather touches me. It is unique tropical mixture of humidity, heat, light breezes, smells and colors. Every sense is touched. It is as if the city has embraced the soul of everyone present, sharing, caring, and nurturing.
Over the past six months I have gotten used to the smell, feel, and sight of haze. Though it is of the Other’s making (think Indonesia), for anyone in Singapore, the periodic haze numbs the feeling of being outside.
Recent events brought an awareness of how the haze has encouraged me to ignore the world around me. I am so used to the smell of smoke, the grit that remains on the bike and every exposed part of my body, and the blurry line of the horizon, that I no longer pay attention to the world around me. A picture of a friend’s cellphone changed everything!
It was an unmemorable picture of the Singapore skyline. The framing and subject matter did not justify spending time, but the sky was crystal clear bright blue! The white clouds dominated the foreground, everything screamed fresh, clean, and wonderful.
“When did you take the picture?”
The picture was a day old. There was a point of change, haze to beauty, dirty to clean, avoidable to inviting that I missed! In my numbness, I no longer looked for beauty, hope, and the best. In seeing the picture, I look around, my mind echoing the psalmist’s words; “How magnificent your work, God! How profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92.5) Forgive me for not noticing. Thank-you for the gift before I was ready. Thank-you for repeating it even though I ignored the beauty and wonder all around me.
I also knew no excuse or reasoning would take away from the fact that I had missed something. The only thing I could and can do is learn, grow, and pay attention to the present. It is a wonderful time to be alive!
