Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
Dr. Seuss
I came across the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss by accident. I almost didn't pay any attention to it, but fortunately this paragraph made me read the whole text. It is so truthful that it almost scares me. The truth is that we are all waiting for something. Most of us are living in The Waiting Place. It feels safe and secure, and it is the easiest place to be. Once we get comfortable where we are, we don't want to venture anywhere else. Because it is scary, because it is not the right time. Because we are not ready yet. Because next year will be better. Because...
I know all the excuses very well, and recognise the symptoms. I have been in The Waiting Place for far too long. But I have also learnt that the best time is now and the best place is here. I am tired of waiting. I don't want to just exist in The Waiting Place and then die. I just to savour every moment of my life and live it the best way I can. No regrets, no time wasting on what is not making me happy or is not important.
So what are you waiting for?
I wanted to photograph the Traffic Light Tree sculpture in London Docklands for years. So it was the high time for me to make it happen. It proved to be more challenging than I initially thought. Not only because of its location on a busy roundabout, but also because of the exposure for the constantly changing lights. Perhaps next time I will do better.
The sculpture was created by the French sculptor Pierre Vivant. Eight metres tall and containing 75 sets of lights, each controlled by computer, the sculpture was described by Vivant:
The Sculpture imitates the natural landscape of the adjacent London Plane Trees, while the changing pattern of the lights reveals and reflects the never ending rhythm of the surrounding domestic, financial and commercial activities.
Traffic Light Tree was installed in 1998 on the site of a plane tree that was suffering as a result of pollution. It was initially intended that the lights would be triggered to reflect flurries of activity on the London Stock Exchange, but this proved to be too expensive to put into practice. Although some motorists were initially confused by the traffic lights, mistaking them for real signals, the sculpture soon became a favourite among both tourists and locals.
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