As Singapore approaches its 50th year, construction is tangibly on display. New mass transit routes continue to be built, refinements to expressways, and basic improvements to housing and interior roads are just the beginning. It is hard to drive more than fifteen minutes without seeing at least one crane, safety fence, or hardhat worker.
Havelock is the name of the street that takes me directly into the heart of the central business district. It is a straight and comfortable four-lane road, occasionally six and eight if you add turning lanes. It is the key link between the CBD and Chinatown and the stretch of new car dealers on Alexandra Road. It is also subject to refinement and enhancements like many others locations in Singapore.
Riding a small Yamaha scooter gives one time to observe construction projects and individuals trying to navigate around them. Yesterday I was reminded how important someone can be to another.
A young mother with a baby in a stroller was trying to negotiate a street crossing connected to a sidewalk marked by temporary repairs and small construction equipment. Walking just in front of her was a man caught up in thoughts, visually oblivious to the woman, baby, and stroller. The pair walked at the same pace, almost together yet in very different worlds.
As the mother got to the curb, her head came into the surveyor with his tripod set in the middle of the sidewalk ahead. As his head popped up, you could see his beaming smile! His voice was silenced by the traffic, however the movement of his lips, the expression on his face, and his run towards the mother and the stroller conveyed his intention to anyone willing to watch. The angst on the mother’s face turned to a smile. What had seemed impossible was now an opportunity to talk and laugh with another adult.
The stranger ahead walked on, I am not sure he noticed.
Old words lived again; “God in dependable love shows up on time, shows me my enemies in ruin.” (Psalm 59.10) Thank-you.
