I remember I once had a conversation with a stranger. It was raining, pouring more like it. Just a typical day in Singapore, our little tropical island. I sat there on a bench, drenched, my stupid little umbrella broken. It was such a weak little thing, honestly. My laptop was fortunately dry, but my patience was wearing quite thin. The busses were late because of the rain, there was a traffic jam, and all those damn people honking were more than just annoying me. I sat there on those cold metal benches, trying to dry my hair, trying to stay warm, and I will admit I was close to throwing a proper tantrum.
Then I heard this stranger laugh, it was a mild and soft little giggle. I whipped around almost as if I was going to yell; but instead, I just deflated. The stranger laughed a bit more, and told me that my green polo shirt was wet. I never knew my school uniform could get any uglier, but that shade of green got even more puke-ish when wet. I said under my breath,”What a horrible day.” And her reply was something I never expected,”You should take it with a pinch of sugar,” she said with a small smile. I probably looked very confused because she continued to make her case. She told me that water is the essence of life, and every time it rains, the earth grows.
I had taken basic biology, so everything she said made logical sense, but she took an interesting approach to it. We grow up hearing the saying ‘with a pinch of salt,’ but we were never really were taught to look at things from the other side. I will admit, I am quite pessimistic, and since then I’ve been trying to look at things from a different approach. This Boston winter, for example, is only a precursor to a nice and warm summer. It is a time for the trees to rest before exhausting their energy in blooming.
The stranger left before I could really say anything. Soon after, my bus arrived. It was, of course, freezing cold inside, so I climbed upstairs and sat at the front. Then in that moment, a small ray of sunshine peeked out. So did a little smile on my clammy face.
