Since my son’s bone marrow transplant, we’ve been hiding in solitude–keeping away from germs, afraid of waking up the monster beast called cancer and its violent return. I do miss my social life. I miss traveling. Loneliness has become my favorite companion. 

 
Meanwhile, I have been keeping myself busy easing me  from the melancholy that’s been ravaging inside me. I’ve been going for long walks, watching and observing the ducks in the lake. They have kept me entertained for hours, unable to notice the passing of time.  

  

  

I realized how social they are. They are always in groups and never alone. Whoever is leading the pact seems to be doing a great job getting everyone to follow obediently and harmoniously. They all swim in one direction and when they reach at the end of the lake, they turn around and swim towards the opposite direction. It is strange yet funny how those ducks have consumed my thoughts during my meditative walks. They temporary kept me sane and gave me an excuse to escape from my own world. 

  
I have also spotted this crane at the lake  by our house a few days ago. A crane is a popular symbol in Asian culture. A Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki folded paper cranes as a symbol of good fortune, healing, happiness, and success. She was a victim of the radiation from the Hiroshima disaster and later died of leukemia. 
Could this be a coincidence or is this a sign from the gods that healing and happiness will soon come? 

 

I realized that happiness can be achieved from simple things. I realized that a simple walk can relieve me from moments of sadness. Unexpected creatures can temporary amuse me, elating me from the mundane world I live in. There is definitely beauty in simplicity.