contemplations

A poem I’m sure most people have seen before, but doesn’t hurt reading it again, just to remind us all…

Slow Dance
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask, “How are you?”
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

***

Have you slowed down, taken a break from the usual hectic pace and routine of life, just let go of all the nagging worries, homework you have to do, tests you have to mug for, and just let things pass you by instead of always rushing past things (in other words, “stoning” in a way).

That’s what I did today. Was supposed to sail a Laser Pico with Zi Chong today, but when we got to SAFYC at Sembawang, the sky was constipated and we couldn’t sail, so we spent the time watching the sea -- what people normally call, stoning.

Stoning has such a negative connotation. It implies that you are wasting time. But why? What is spending time meaningfully, and what is wasting time? What is the difference between the two? Why is it that we only call something not a “waste of time” when it produces tangible results? Is watching the sea, feeling the wind, de-stressing, enjoying the company and chatter of friends, any less “meaningful” than sitting down cooped up alone in your room, memorizing chunks of text and information (which you would probably not require in the future, and which would probably not add to your happiness in anyway, only killing your brain cells.)?

(this is why I never connect on the same wavelength as my mom. We have different definitions of a “meaningful” life and time “well spent”.)

And the sea. I’ve been drawn to the sea since young. Why I love it so much, I can’t really explain. It’s like a calming, all-embracing, all-encompassing body that just absorbs your presence, that is just there. Always there. It is soothing, tranquil, and yet awe-inspiring in its fury. And when I’m right beside the sea, all my worries over the trivialities of life, like grades, tests, homework, squabbles and whatnots, they are just dwarfed into insignificance.

I like the feel of water. I like being in the rain, getting drenched (except that my mom won't like the fact that my clothes are wet). I like swimming. I like sailing! And I certainly hope next week's weather won't be as constipated as this, so that I can actually sail. Sky, be kind!

Now I take my evening walk and feel the coolness of the night.