Of Endings and Beginnings

On Friday, my company’s MD officially announced the death sentence. The company was winding up and all employees had less than seven months to help out in the transfer process, find new jobs, collect whatever retrenchment benefits that they are owed and clear out. Well at least that put at end to all speculations and rumours that have been circulating since early this year. But I guess many had not expected the axe to be brandished so soon. The hardest hit will be the ones above forty as the working culture in Singapore is not too kind or accommodating to older workers. Old doesn’t necessarily mean gold here. With that said, it is time to pay more attention to the recruit section again.

And on a totally different note, on Saturday, 11 Nov at 11am, under the watchful eyes of 11 family members and one toddler, I officially denounced my ‘single’ status and was officially wedded by the local Marriage Registrar. We are doing it pretty much the Singapore way, ie. book house – register marriage – wedding dinner a year later. A bout of food poisoning (from either the Nasi Lemak Rendang @ Larkin Station or Prawn Noodle @ Bentayan, the night before) literally gave me cold feet (and hands) that morning. Just had enough strength to last the short ceremony and lunch afterwards. A new journey begins …

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The True Love

There's a faith in loving fiercely the one who is rightfully yours
especially if you have waited years and especially if part of you never
believed you could deserve this loved and beckoning hand held
out to you this way.

I am thinking of faith now and the testaments of loneliness
and what we feel we are worthy of in this world.
Years ago in the Hebrides I remember an old man
who would walk every morning on the gray stones
to the shore of baying seals, who would press his
hat to his chest in the blustering salt wind and say his
prayer to the turbulent Jesus hidden in the waters.

And I think of the story of the storm and the people
waking and seeing the distant, yet familiar figure,
far across the water calling to them.
And how we are all preparing for that abrupt waking
and that calling and that moment when we have to say yes!
Except it will not come so grandly, so biblically,
but more subtly, and intimately in the face
of the one you know you have to love.
So that when we finally step out of the boat
toward them we find, everything holds us,
and everything confirms our courage.

And if you wanted to drown, you could,
But you don't, because finally, after all
this struggle and all these years,
you don't want to anymore.
You've simply had enough of drowning
and you want to live, and you want to love.
And you'll walk across any territory,
and any darkness, however fluid,
and however dangerous to take the one
hand and the one life, you know belongs in yours.

~ David Whyte ~