A bright red-blue-green Rosella flew in front of me as I stood in my back yard porch in Australia, looking at the mountains, holding to a glass of red wine. To my surprise he landed on a branch not more than an arm’s length from where I stood. He may have mistakenly thought that the wine glass was a cup of delicious corn kernels. He stood there for a while, staring at me as I admire the amazing mix of colors of his feathers, wishing that I had real corn kernels to give.
As I stood there, I thought, this is how life should be……the bird in the tree, a glass of wine and the mountain at the background. The bird flew away and I went back to my house.
I stood at the junction of 16th and K street of Washington DC. I looked along the 16th street and saw the White House at the end of the street. I walked across the street to the office that I had to go to, one block away. The city was clean as always, the smell of coffee from the café next door was tempting. The monuments and the flowers in the parks make the city feel cozy. An African American lady who worked as the security guard of the office building greeted me with a smile. She said – “how are you today?”. I returned the gesture. I met with 3 of my colleagues, an immigrant from China, an old Caucasian man, and an African American lady. They told me that if I am hungry there is a very nice Indian food joint just around the corner.
As I stood among them, I thought, this is how life should be…..the beautiful city, a rich mix of culture. The meeting finished after a couple of hours and I made my way to the airport.
I alighted from bus number 10 in East Coast Road in Singapore. I walked to a hawker center selling one of my family’s favorite foods, the vegetarian wanton noodle. The stall lady-owner greeted me and asked how my family and I are doing. I answered that we are doing well but we have just moved to Australia. She asked me when will we return, and I said I do not know. I ordered one dish and asked for a cup of my favorite tea to come with it. She made me a slightly up-sized dish as a nice gesture. I heard familiar noise of other hawkers working in the background as I enjoyed my comfort food.
As I sat there, I thought to myself, this is how life should be…..beautiful food, familiar people, familiar places. The food was finished in no time and I rushed back home to pack up and return to Australia.
Everything in life is transient. Love what you do, love who you are with, love everything around you.
