Learning from Nature

Here we are, at the end of another year. Workwise, it is a time for relaxation and rejuvenation, and we are thoroughly grateful for the blessings of our home in Singapore. For a year and a half, we have been living in a condominium complex called the Cascadia, along Bukit Timah Road. Apart from the amenities in the condo compound itself, its location is excellent. It takes just a little over half an hour for me to get to my workplace by bus, which plies the residential areas along Bukit Timah Road, Sixth Avenue and Holland Road. We're connected to downtown Singapore via the nearby KAP and Sixth Ave MRT stations. But most of all, I am grateful for the leisure and serenity offered by the nearby park just a short walk away from the bustle of Bukit Timah Road.

To keep the description short, the park is basically a large rectangular field (Holland Field), bordered on all sides by roads. A park connector runs along one side of the rectangle, in parallel with a monsoon drain that runs just beside it. I often take a walking route that passes through the park, to enjoy the luxury of space and open scenery that is scarce in Singapore. I enjoy the glorious backdrop of sunrise and sunset at the far end of the field, from where I walk.

Just off the park connector is another locally rare landscape feature called Laurel Wood Avenue. It is more of a half tarred, half dirt through road that connects the park connector to Sixth Avenue. But it `gives out vibes of Nature', if you pardon my usage of Gen Z parlance! Laurel Wood forms a section of my route home, when I alight at the nearby Sixth Avenue bus stop. It is also a part of my Thursday morning jog, offering scenic views of looming trees and greenery during exercise. But certainly not after rainfall, when it quickly transforms into a mini `paddy field'!

And it rains a lot these days, in the November-December period when the North-East Monsoon blows. When the rain subsides and the sun shines brightly again, I resume my morning jog down the Avenue. And here, I learn Lesson No. 1 from Nature.

Lesson No. 1: Tenacity

While the avenue was originally tarred, washings of soil, detritus and organic matter onto the road over the years had coated its surface. Following periods of rain and sunshine, rapid, robust growth of grass onto the road occurs. These are regularly cleared away by the ever-efficient local road workers- nevertheless they keep coming back, stronger and greener than before. Reminds me of the period right after the pandemic shutdown, when weeds overtook the pavement and secondary forests sprouted everywhere.

Lesson learnt: Never give up when your chips are down. Keep going and always be prepared for opportunity. When the conditions are right, Spring will come.

Of course, we should also create opportunities where we can. At times, the onus is on us to provide the right conditions.

Lesson No. 2: Build the Ecosystem

I've watched documentaries where conservationists built artificial structures for coral to grow. I never imagined that an ecosystem was being built, right in our backyard! I spotted a large number of black-coloured fish wallowing in the waters of the monsoon drain after a shower. I wondered how they had found their way there, and what they fed on- probably smaller fish or microbial organisms. A short distance away were a couple of white egrets- I was quite sure that these fed on the fish.

Lesson learnt: Create the conditions where you can

Lesson No. 3 

Besides Laura Wood Avenue, there is another road that starts just off the park connector, which if you follow its course, will bring you to the Rail Corridor. On a whim one evening, I decided to stroll down its wide expanse and enjoy the space and scenery. I got more than I bargained for. As I walked down the path, the sky began to darken, with a red sunset beckoning in the Western sky. I stopped to take some photos, but also to observe the little swallows that were circling the sky ahead. As I watched, more and more of their black figures flitted swiftly and gracefully around me. It was a surreal feeling- the birds carrying out their daily routine oblivious to me, as if I was a trespasser into Nature, but who had generously accommodated and spared some room for me!

I thought of tourists who travelled hundreds of miles to see spectacular natural phenomena such as the Northern Lights, or to use an example closer to home, the fireflies of Kuala Selangor. Amongst these birds, I felt a closeness to Nature that I rarely felt before. A privileged witness to one of its wonders, one that came unexpectedly.

Lesson learnt: One does not need to chase Nature. Be mindful, and still, and Nature will come to you!