Along My Evening Walk

Late in the afternoon, during the time between after I officially logoff my work computer and sunset, I go on a walk, taking three laps around the compound in which I live. Usually the air has begun to cool and a soothing breeze accompanies me along the way. I am transfixed by the blanket of greenery that seems to be growing everywhere. I can almost hear all the plants extending their leaves and tendrils, there is such a riot of flora in this tropical land. Unlike my home in the Pacific Northwest, where I know the names of most trees and plants, I cannot identify a single Indonesian species. Like a child just learning to speak, linking words to things, I can point and say "flower" but can't be more specific in my words of identification than that. It is the fate of the person living in a new land, lost in a swirl of the unfamiliar.  All I can do is turn off my unknowing brain and take in the novelty of what I see and be glad that I have been fortunate enough, through the years, to have been able to take in so much--and know that each day I will make a little more sense of it all.