The Life Connection

I got up in the dark. Felt like a short time till I heard Jakarta morning started. It might be because I was so deeply engrossed in The Joy Luck Club. This book is written eighteen years ago, long time ago, but it’s still ‘up’ to be read now – it’s classic. I enjoyed every story very much so I read it slowly. I repeated some sentences that ring true about life in general and more precisely about mother-and-daughter relationship. It’s about Chinese family but I can also see it as Asian, not specific Chinese. Distant-cold-one way relationship that produces tough girl and wife later. I also kept checking the connection between short stories as the book is about childhood stories of four pairs of mother-and-daughters that the mothers are good mah jong friends. The story is intricately interlocking. I tried to see the connection between the mother’s background experience and the way she raised her daughter. Both have their own pain that they bury deep ‘the Asian way’. Very interesting.

In Ubud, morning is started with the sounds of many kinds of insects (geckos, roosters, and dogs as well) and a bit later we can hear the sound of building construction (cutting tiles, drill machines, sanding) and of course the sound of life in… kitchen and bathroom.

In Jakarta, I heard my neighbor’s stuck iron gate opened. Going to mosque time. And a bit later I heard my not-well neighbor took a walk with husband and nurse. I peeked out the window to check her condition nowadays. She lives opposite my house. She was one with high energy and full of spirit when I knew her the first time when I moved into this house twelve years ago. Her health decreases rapidly the past four years. She is not yet 70. I care for her.

And of course Jakarta is Jakarta with many street vendors passing with loud sound instruments to attract women in the house. Many kinds of business: selling bread, vegetables, and household plastic items, also scavengers who move without sound but leave our outside trash bin disorganized.

So, how’s your soul? A friend asked. I replied instantly that my soul is hungry for discovering more. I don’t know why I said that but I think that’s what I really felt this morning. I want to learn more about new things because that makes my life more exciting. And I started it well. I made necklace with my German Blue friend in mind, it’s her birthday today. She had been in Portugal since two days, to live. I used the same stone she used for “our” favorite big round silver, only I used other silver ornaments I found in Celuk the other day. I realized, some friends have left sweet connection in my life.

Photo of Birthday Blue I created this morning.