I have the wanders

I was feeling a bit out of sorts in KL. I couldn’t find my balance, my center, myself. I wanted to sleep a lot, not talk to anyone, go about my days and stay out of the heat. Heat makes me so sluggish, especially the kind where the air is dense. With that said I did manage to do a number of things I enjoyed in KL, I just didn’t make too many friends and I’m ok with that. Sometimes I just like to be alone.

A sleepy, seaside, UNESCO world heritage town, Melaka, Malaysia, is a good stop over on the way to KL (Kuala Lumpur). You can easily stay for a day or two and feel like you saw the town. I had never heard of Melaka until I was in Singapore.  I was having a little trouble figuring out my general route. Melaka appeared as an opportunity for a stop over on the way to KL. I had always wanted to go to KL and see the Petronas Towers, so I figured why not. It was only a short bus ride away.

I’m inspired.

After a stroll down touristy Jonker Street, I came to the end and saw this woman. She was missing one arm completely and had only a partial as the other. Instead of begging, instead of wallowing, instead of sitting at home, instead of hiding herself, she created art. With a paintbrush lodged in a sweatband on her arm, she  paints names and a poem, all for a donation. She does not suggest an amount. The sign just says  donations thank you. She paints many different sizes, very large scrolls to mini bookmarks. This woman had people gathered around the table watching her with a line. This woman was creating. This woman inspired me.