Grateful 23 Mar: Simple Joys

It was a simple day, and I initially wanted to write about being grateful for life’s most basic things - the air I breathe, the water I drink, and so on. But as I reflected more deeply, I realised there were a few moments that stood out, not because they were significant, but because of what they revealed: 

• Walk-Jog-Bus Ride. I met a social worker for lunch at Bedok Interchange hawker centre today. As usual, I left early to have my kopi-o kosong at Simei, thinking I could simply take the MRT to Bedok afterwards. But after my coffee, I realised I had more time than expected and decided to take the bus instead. The app showed that the next bus would arrive in 9 minutes, so I thought I might as well walk to the next stop. And then the next. And then the next. Since I have another hour to go, why not right? And before I knew it, I had covered more than half the distance. At a certain point, I figured it wouldn’t be ideal to arrive drenched in perspiration, and eventually took the bus instead. Funnily enough, I still ended up early as the social worker was late. Doh! But well, despite not planning for it, I ended up clocking my steps! Perhaps it is a reminder that things do not always have to go according to plan to turn out just fine.

• Swim. After meeting the social worker, I returned home and felt it was too early to get back into my work routine. It was really breezy and I decided to sit by the pool to enjoy the breeze. The weather was warm, and before long, I couldn’t resist the temptation and ended up taking a dip. It had been almost a year since I last did so. I only did 2 laps, and decided to just enjoy the refreshing cool water. It was such a huge contrast to the heat of the sun and the morning’s walk-jog and I was grateful for the presence of this pool. Once again, I was reminded how I have stopped making use of such facilities after living in a condo for a while. Perhaps I should do this more often.

• eSIM. 2 days ago, my phone unexpectedly displayed “No SIM”. It was strange and came out of nowhere. I was outside at the time and almost ended up stranded, as I rely on my phone for transport payments and don’t have the habit of carrying my wallet. Thankfully, a food court attendant lent me a pin so I could remove and reinsert the SIM card. M suggested switching to an eSIM, but I hesitated, thinking it might be troublesome. When the issue recurred yesterday and again today, I decided - while sitting by the pool - to just go ahead with it. Within minutes, it was done. Simple. It made me wonder how often I hold back from making small changes because I assume they will be inconvenient, when in reality, they are not.

So yes, it was still a simple day, yet one that reminded me that not everything needs to be planned so tightly. At times, especially when time is not a constraint, it may be better to let things be. A little spontaneity can inject some quiet excitement, and even if things go slightly awry, one can always respond to the moment, and things will work themselves out.