The Pond

The past week finally completes the end of the 7th Chinese Solar month. It was truly extraordinary in the literary sense. That sense of accomplishment has returned. And what a unique way of closing the month yesterday: I visited the huge pond at the park.

It was in the late afternoon and when I arrived, it wasn't that crowded, which was a good thing. There were some old folks fishing and chatting about the good ol' life. A couple of kids with two women were sitting on a mat on the ground, the kids drawing the scenery with crayons. It was also the 1-week school break, I remembered. All around the perimeter of the pond you could see people jogging, strolling, and just sitting around. I guess I belonged to the latter group, perhaps they too wanted to muse about life, the wonder and humour of it all.

I sat myself down on a wooden bench, looking out over the water. The sun was still bright, its rays reflecting like little diamonds on the surface of the water. Thank God there was this huge tree with its branches over me, giving me shelter. I was amazed at how the branches grew towards the water; somehow the elements of nature really are interdependent with one another, just like how humans should be. Wood is drawn to water because it helps it grow, I thought, and how fitting as the productive cycle of the five elements also describes this.

I had a book with me and I decided to read a few pages of it, wanting to "warm up" with this new environment I hardly experience. Funny, isn't it? I've always read and heard people say that we should make nature a part of our life. I've always known intrinsically that within every person's core is a willingness to be with nature, that we subconsciously know that nature is a natural healer and can nourish the soul. And yet all this while until yesterday I had simply pushed aside the idea of spending time with nature.

Then there was a little commotion on my right when I heard one of the old folks saying in a loud voice, "Wah, 1 Kilo, 1 Kilo!" I knew they were referring to the fish that was pulling hard on the fishing line, only thing when the old man drew back the line and saw what he had caught, it wasn't a fish at all. It was a tortoise, one of many who made the pond their home. It was a first for me, seeing a tortoise grab a bait. But I also knew it was a sign; it's not everyday you get to see a tortoise being fished out of the water.

After reading what I needed to read, I decided to take a stroll around the pond. It looked huge at first, but on second thought, I could see that it would take only minutes to encircle it. I started walking clockwise. Along the way I met people on the other side - sports enthusiasts, more fishermen, and more children. The sun was setting slowing, evening was coming. I took in the view from the other side of the pond, spotting where I had sat earlier. Soon I had completed the circle, and I was back where I started. That was when I decided it was time to leave.

I felt a bit disappointed, to tell you the truth. If I were to tell you why, you'd think I was crazy. You see, the reason why I decided to visit the pond was because I was told to visit it - very subtly, of course. I expected some kind of event to happen, some awakening or drastic change in my thinking, perhaps. Maybe I wasn't supposed to expect that, because after leaving the place I realised that what I had done today was something to be incorporated into my life from now on. In other words, to make nature a part of my routine. I'm still trying to ingest that, and I'm still working out how to incorporate that into my lifestyle. Deep within me, I know the answer is simple enough, and action can be taken very easily. But on the outside, it seems so much harder... Funny, isn't it?