Happy Meals & Flowers from Tembusu tree

In the city where meals are happier than people who have it, no one has time to live in the moment. We even press ‘close’ button in the lift several times hoping it would close faster. We hold our breath in weekdays and breathe out during weekends. We constantly long for long weekends. While we like living in this city, we love escaping it during long weekends. 

Perhaps we believe our work is our purpose, and holiday is a form of reward. But if you were to take two week holiday with no new city to visit or agenda to attend to, you would go crazy. That was exactly my mindset when I had a surgery recently. My gallbladder was removed and I had to rest for couple of weeks. My activity for the day were eat, sleep, pee and a short walk around the block.  First few days flew as I concentrated on finding the best position to sleep, and enjoying the attention from others.  And then there was my mom.

After the operation I couldn't take the pain and I wept on her shoulder, and she consoled me as if I were a baby. She filled my plate with food and took it to clean, as soon as I finished it. For every two hours love shuttled from kitchen to my room in the forms of juice, fruit or a snack.  Unlike her other trips to Singapore, She hardly went out or enjoyed her personal time. Her mission was to make me alright during the short stay. We went for walks at twilight and took rest at park bench enjoying the windy afternoon. We talked random things like tall trees in the park, how dad annoyed her or the latest gossip about a relative.  

During one such afternoon, we shared a hearty laugh about something. I couldn't recall the subject, but I vividly remember the smell of flowers from Tembusu tree, the wind and her face.  Her beautiful, make up free face which was filled with wrinkles from several years of smiles.  Sun bounced off from back of her head and it appeared as if she had a halo.  

That’s when I realized, how blessed I was to have had that surgery. To have cried in her shoulder. My every meal was happy and we did not hurry up the lift. Because, that time with her is all that I ever have. And that laugh is what life is all about.