The rhythm of reading, writing, and curiosity

Monday, August 12, 2024

Walk. Talk to Mom. Texts. Then there's a visit on the Porch with a friend. We're out for lunch with Alan and Jani at a new-to-us Indonesian restaurant. I bring home the "floss" made with turmeric and hot seasonings that is sprinkled on rice. SO good that I ask IbuA to make it again!

On the way home, we spot a pickup truck full of egg cartons. The eggs are exposed to traffic pollution, road bumps, and braking. It's a good thing that God has wrapped the insides securely within the shells.

IbuS makes a loaf of bread, which comes out of the breadmaker in time for supper.

We enjoy it with kaya butter, bought in a Penang bakery a few weeks ago. With sticky toppings, I've begun cutting hot bread into cubes for individual mouthfuls. Works great.

Tuesday

Indonesian flags are up in the neighborhood for Independence Day (August 17). Every country has its own version of history. Someone tells us proudly: "The Japanese helped liberate us from the Dutch colonists in WWII. They were Indonesia's partners in gaining our freedom." 

In preparation for their national day, the neighbors spruce up yards. The streets get fresh striping, curving around obstacles and driveway ramps.

W and I find more seed pods along the street. I have enough for a striking "autumn" arrangement. There's no fall season here. The mornings are colder because of Australian winter winds. It's 15oC/59oF this morning bbbrrrr. Leaves are falling off the trees in their semi-annual renewal. I wear a fuzzy jacket until mid-morning.

My dear friend and I have an early meeting. Keelee is the founder and entrepreneur behind Quiet Waters Bakery, as well as directing a children's program. BUSY season of life for sure.

W and I have an online review with a partner group. Mom and I connect and W calls his mother. Technology has utterly changed the way people interact globally. It's so much better - and easier - to call or FaceTime now. A century ago we would have waited 3-6 month for a letter via steamer. 30 years ago, it would have taken 2-5 weeks for a postal envelope or we would have paid a fortune for a phone call.

Kirsten and I check in as well. There's good news after her visit with the surgeon. There are things to pray for. I write some book reviews and it's lunchtime.

Our team meets online today. Martin is speaking Sunday so we give him feedback on his talk. It's a joy to see the team's skills and confidence developing, which is easier in a smaller Gathering. You can't predict where God will take people who are willing to be challenged. Over the years, we've sent team members into the whole world after our season together. We sure miss them when they go.

IbuA has made a pot of curried melinjo berries, papaya leaves, and other goodies from the yard. "She was creative because there weren't enough other leaves," says IbuS. It's still hot when they leave for the day. I skipped lunch: not hungry, so I eat a bowl of this = delicious, without the bitter aftertaste of "normal" ingredients. W may even like this version.

We write a letter of reference for a coworker, W checks the internet at the office, and we complete "little chores" before the afternoon closes in on us. After walking to an early supper at #NaraPark, sundown is reliably near 6:00, year round.

Wednesday

We walk. It is 61oF/16oC, so cold that we pull our coats on again.

A man climbs onto our roof to replace clay tiles blown into the garden. Once a tile breaks free, the ones around it loosen. It's dangerous to walk underneath. None of our helpers are willing to go up the tall ladder. But one of them knows someone who doesn't mind heights and "that guy" is working today.

It's pond-cleaning day. Last week the yardman emptied and cleaned the two bathtubs that sit over the drainage ditch in the backyard. Today, his target is 4 flower pots that have become fishponds. The tropical fish - swordtails, platys, mollys, guppies, etc. - and the water plants we used to nurture carefully in an aquarium? They're multiplying year-round outside, with very little help.

We empty and clean the ponds once or twice a year. Since they're in the garden, leaves and debris falls into the water and sinks to the bottom, nourishing the plants and detoxifying fish waste.

Usually we depend on overflow from rainfall to replace the water. When it's dry and the water level sinks, we top up with city water (ugh polluted). The solar fountains get wiped down once a month so that they keep the water aerated and moving. When there are too many plants, they get thinned and tossed into the garden. When there are too many fish, we give a bunch away. Someone walks around the yard most days and flings fish pellets in - and that's about it for maintenance.

I stuff some pods and dead leaves into a vase. They'll need arranging but they're a reminder of the joy my friends have in the approach of autumn in the northern hemisphere. That's not for me - give me eternal summer instead.

There's a lineup of motorcycles outside the restaurants we pass. There may be an empty customer parking lot with 20 employees inside, ready to serve. Salaries are low and jobs are hard to find. There are 4-5 workers here for every employee in Canada or the USA.

A crew of men hauls heavy rebar squares off a laden pickup. They lean them against the house. W and I wonder how they'll get them to the rooftop - it takes 5 guys to lift each square.

W starts teaching his 3-week online class today. He figures out new Zoom capabilities to make us better lecturers online. Split screen? Alternate views? Write-on screens? No problem. His students are from across the globe, enrolled in a Singapore institution.

I click on FocusMate, an online coworking space. I work across the screen with a business major in Hong Kong and a master student in Tasmania. My focus is writing reviews. I get through ten reviews in two hours, plus writing a few more items - yeah, I got unfocused for a bit. I read books on custom dressmaking, art spaces, healing from trauma, and more.

By lunch, the words on the screen are blurring. Time for a breather.

Read more:

*The Lord was with Joseph, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. Genesis 39:23

*Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

*The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

Moravian Prayer: Dear Lord, we are aware that your presence is the web that connects each piece of creation. We breathe in the joy of the world, pause, and exhale with gratitude. In this quiet time, we breathe in the suffering of the world. We pause and invite love to transform it as we exhale. In this quiet time, with each breath, may the fruit of the Spirit feed our souls. Amen.