23rd July 2024 Beena
Hello, everyone😊. Last Friday, I posted a watercolour painting of a forest with bright red wild orchids. The source is a photo of my friend’s garden. To create the forest-like look, I used the negative painting technique and a kitchen towel for the textured look of the trees. I titled it “Delight in Finding Treasures”.
After a gap of nearly nine years, I went for a forest walk with Jane and Juan, my two young friends. The last time I walked was in 2015, when Allan was here, and we went to Kubah National Park. Jane encouraged me to try again, and thanks to her, I finally trekked up to the Mariamman Temple at Matang. It was a beautiful morning, not too sunny. The entire trek was in the forest but on a paved track. During the trek, I noticed everyone would greet me with ” Good Morning”. We could hear the sounds made by birds amidst the silence of the forest. I walked slowly as the incline was challenging. At the top of the mountain was the main Mariamman temple, and I offered my prayers, grateful that I could trek again.
When we completed the trek, I realized what my treasure was. It is the friendships I have developed over the years with tons of people who have come into my life. They had various roles-some were colleagues, some were mentors, and some were fellow nature enthusiasts. Despite moving far away, they still maintained their friendship. For instance, Lay Khoon, Alvin, and Magdalene are friends who encouraged me when I felt insecure about trekking. I genuinely appreciate what Jane and Juan did for me. When you find a treasure like friendship, nurture it🤗🤗.