Today the public transit gods smiled down on me, delivering me early to my appointment with an extra twenty minutes that I chose not to spend in a medical waiting room. Because covid and all.

So as I neared my destination super early, I mulled my choices and quickly settled on the obvious: Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site conveniently situated across the street from the doctors’ office.

So I popped into the Gardens and started wandering. I found a gazebo with this open bench, then sat and did absolutely nothing.

I saw a grandfather pushing his granddaughter in a stroller, turning her constantly to keep her pointed at the weaving pigeon that caught her attention; grandma looked on smiling. I saw an elderly woman in a wheelchair silently gazing out at the pond, her caretaker resting one hand gently on the woman’s back.

My twenty minutes up, I wandered back to the entrance and carried on with my day.