Paper Boat & Silly Songs

Batu -- Malang, East Java We are spending a very needed weekend getaway. It still pinches me here and there, knowing that this time my father isn't here with us. Funny how human brain works. Every little thing has the power bring back the memory of someone and moments you used to spend with him or her. Even a dirty ditch reminds me of how my father has taught me to make paper boats and let them float with the stream. Then I get back to my room, dying for a deep sleep. It's been a long day. It's been a long week. It's been too long, period. Then I hear some noises from neighbouring rooms. Great! Kids. Lots of them (read: more than one of them), singing on top of their lungs. At 8.30 p.m.!!! So much for a deep sleep.... Then the memory game starts again. Those kids and their dad are singing silly songs together. You know, those things you do to kill time when you are with the little ones. Oh, those kids might have absolutely no idea whatsoever regarding how lucky they are. To have a dad who probably has fought the traffic to get to this hotel. To have a mom who has made sure they are well fed and washed before they go to bed. To create a memory together with their siblings. To be able to spend time with each other without spending top dollars. To have each person's undivided attention, even for just a few minutes.... I guess, sadly, it's true what they say: You never know what you've got until you lose 'em.... The singing voice have died down. I guess those kids are tucked to bed already. It's quite late at night. So I listen to the frogs croacking in the paddy fields. Serenading their loved ones, singing their own version of love songs. It is a beautiful night. It is a beautiful life. And I choose to cherish it.