A couple of weeks ago, Ryan and I visited the Merlion Park. He had a day off from school and he tagged along with me to the office for the day where he played with his alphabet blocks and a Lollibox (which I mentioned in yesterday's post). It was a Friday and things were a little slow so I took the opportunity to leave a little earlier with him at the end of the day (while the sun was still in the sky!). My office faces Marina Bay and, as we walked out, Ryan wanted to check out the area. He was attracted to the sailing yachts going past.
I suggested that we take a walk along the promenade and see the merlion at the Merlion Park. As we made our way there, I explained to him what a merlion is (or is supposed to be). I told him that it's like a mermaid, only instead of being half fish and half human, a merlion is half fish and half lion.
Ryan was in a very good mood, as you can see.
I have lots more photos of him dancing maniacally and striking strange poses, but I think I'll save them for private viewing, heh heh.
After hanging around a bit, and checking out the baby merlion, I asked Ryan if we could go off and he said, "Yes, let's go see the mermaid now!"
Oops.
Fortunately, we were at Big Splash the following week and the seafood restaurant there has a huge billboard of a mermaid (with the tagline, "If it swims, we have it") so we were able to show that to Ryan. His response was, "Oh great! We found the mermaid!"
Anyway, back to our date that day. As we left Merlion Park, we passed the ferry centre and Ryan started waving to the passengers on the incoming ferries. He was so excited and kept asking if he could go on the ferry. I was a little concerned that it would be dark soon, plus I was carrying a load of stuff - my large and heavy handbag, his Lollibox, his set of large alphabet blocks and his bucket of 100 colour pens. Also, to be honest, having spent the entire day with him, my energy level was a little low and I was looking forward to a bit of a rest.
So I told him that we could come back another time with his daddy and he said ok. But, after walking on for a bit, I did feel a little bad so, after checking with Richard over the phone to see if he was ready to leave the office (he was not), I told Ryan - let's go on the ferry! And really, I actually felt much better.
We walked back to the ferry centre and got tickets for a cruise to Clarke Quay (through Boat Quay) and back. Here's Ryan, waiting for his ferry. He kept asking, is it this one? everytime a ferry came in.
Fortunately, we were at Big Splash the following week and the seafood restaurant there has a huge billboard of a mermaid (with the tagline, "If it swims, we have it") so we were able to show that to Ryan. His response was, "Oh great! We found the mermaid!"
Anyway, back to our date that day. As we left Merlion Park, we passed the ferry centre and Ryan started waving to the passengers on the incoming ferries. He was so excited and kept asking if he could go on the ferry. I was a little concerned that it would be dark soon, plus I was carrying a load of stuff - my large and heavy handbag, his Lollibox, his set of large alphabet blocks and his bucket of 100 colour pens. Also, to be honest, having spent the entire day with him, my energy level was a little low and I was looking forward to a bit of a rest.
So I told him that we could come back another time with his daddy and he said ok. But, after walking on for a bit, I did feel a little bad so, after checking with Richard over the phone to see if he was ready to leave the office (he was not), I told Ryan - let's go on the ferry! And really, I actually felt much better.
We walked back to the ferry centre and got tickets for a cruise to Clarke Quay (through Boat Quay) and back. Here's Ryan, waiting for his ferry. He kept asking, is it this one? everytime a ferry came in.
And off we went.
Once we got on the ferry ... wow. Ryan was chattering away before, dancing and hopping around. But once on the ferry, he just sat and looked out quietly, occasionally looking back at me with a smile. In fact, everything slowed down. There was hardly anyone else on the boat and the boat moved along at a snail's pace. As we sailed out and away, the hustle and bustle of the tourists and the city faded away; the chatter and the noise muted by the sound of the water and the soft throttle of the boat engine.
I was thinking that this boat trip was going to be too much hassle, that it was going to take too much time. But, everything went smoothly and the timing was just right.
I had wanted to rest my mind and steal a quiet moment. And that's exactly what I got to do, while still bonding with my son.
This was exactly right.
At that moment the thought that was going through my mind was how blessed and how lucky I am to be this boy's mummy and to be able to spend this boat ride with him. Just the two of us on a slow boat when I would normally have been stuck in the office even though it was already after 6 pm. The evening weather was perfect and we didn't have to be anywhere else.
Oh, this little guy keeps showing me so much wisdom. Slow down. Wait. Take in the present. It's ok to experience less; it's more important to experience fully. And sometimes, God gives you gifts which you may not recognise. Sometimes, the things you need are right there under your nose; just open your eyes and open your mind.
When we got to Clarke Quay, we went to sit at the stern (rear) of the boat where it was open to the sky. Ryan had a lot of fun reading the names of the bridges as we sailed under them (the names are on the sides of the bridges). There were lots of people sitting at the riverside and Ryan waved to everyone, yelling, "Hello! What's your name? I'm Ryan!" Some waved back but most were busy with their own thoughts. It was the perfect day just to sit outside and dream of nothing.
Here are some badly shot phone photos of the two of us, which I absolutely had to take. Because, you know, I wanted to remember this day forever.
The trip takes 45 minutes and they show a recorded programme on the small TV on board, narrating tourist-y facts. I watched some of it. Ryan didn't bother to watch it at all, being more interested in looking out around him.
Here we are, coming back in to Merlion Park. A little unintended trick-shot, hahaha.
And that was the end of our mother-and-son day. And yes, it was a very good day. A very good day, indeed.
2 comments:
Wow how I love this post. Ryan is charming as always!
- kamy
Hi - I came across your blog last night when researching for presch for my LO. I'm really enjoying your views , thank u! Can I ask which presch Ryan is attending ? Email me Luvmama1@gmail.com :-)
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