I wake up each morning to a view that few in Singapore get to see. As I look out the glass doors across the small deck the bulk of what I see are trees. Embassy row, Dempsey Hill, the Botanical Gardens, the tropical forest surrounding the MacRitchie, Lower and Upper Pierce reservoirs dominate the scene. Given Singapore proximity to Indonesia, there is frequently a haze the envelopes Singapore much the way smog used to blanket Los Angeles. When the haze dominates, seeing Malaysia on the horizon is simply a memory. Sometimes it is so dominating that it is hard to remember that Singapore is an island.
Today is one of those days. Even early, it is hot, humid and hazy. I have no idea what it is going to be like later in the day! On days like this, it is easy to forget about how different things can be. I find myself slowing down, struggling to push hard, and wondering what the rush is all about. Life seems to have become as hazy as the sky.
Even as I write the words, I find myself drifting off. I realize that the haze has gone and I am sitting in the same place only a week earlier. I woke to a stunning sunrise that matched the incredible sunset of the night before. As I left myself simply be in the memory I realized that I was relieving the sense of awe and wonder I had experienced in the sunset and sunrise. In the silence I pulled myself back and let myself absorb the present. Everything was the same except for the haze. Everything that was, was still with more. Haze changes the view but beauty remains.
A writer left us with notes from a time long ago; “Her wedding dress is dazzling, lined with gold by the weavers.” (Psalm 45.13) He reminded his readers of the wonder of Divinity and truth. Then and now, it is hard to see beyond the additions.
I watch, finding myself in awe. I can see beauty, even in the haze.
