A quiet prayer for the solitary walker

Every morning for two weeks now, on my way to send off my son to pre-school, I’ll see a woman / girl ( it’s hard to tell from inside a moving car) walking on the side of the road. A lot overweight, a little wobbly, she dons a shabby shirt underneath a windbreaker and walks along the road - everyday. I see her sometimes too, late in the evening when it’s close to twilight, walking and walking and sometimes, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Sometimes, she is clutching a water bottle, one time I spot her munching on a kuih she bought from one of the stalls along the road ( but hey-she’s trying). Sometimes, she’s taking it slow, sometimes she’s brisk-walking. All those times, I stifle the urge to give her a little honk and show a thumbs up sign. I suspect she was enlightened by some episode in her life and is now trying to improve herself. At least she is trying.

And I’m in the car, reciting a quiet prayer for her. I hope she does well; I hope she perseveres; I hope she will not take every negative remark to heart. I hope she understands what she’s doing right now will be one of her greatest decisions ever made.

Most of all, I hope I still see her tomorrow.