As I got on the LRT to head home earlier, the sun was shining really bright, creating the typical Malaysian heat wave that we all often complain about. Shuffled in with the typical rush-hour crowd and ended up standing beside the glass door as I thought the great view would be a nice reprieve from the overcrowded train, just might be able to pretend that I’m on holiday (who am I kidding).

The weather was a beautiful luxury at that instance, the toasty sun felt like a warm hug in winter, as it was freezing inside the LRT.

Suddenly out of nowhere, around the Subang Jaya area, it started raining heavily, with full on water splatters hitting the train’s glass windows. However, at the very same time, the sun was still shining just as bright as before, as if refusing to give its hard-earned place, high up in the sky. 

Everyone on the train, me included, were taken aback for a minute..as if our brains and eyes were confused as to what brought upon the sudden change in weather. 

In my case, I was mentally trying to remember if I brought an umbrella for the walk home (nobody wants to feel like a drowned squirrel at the end of a working day).

As I was looking out at the stretch of houses before me, hidden beneath red clay roofs that had raindrops falling on it as well as sunlight rays reflecting off it, I realised that at times, we tend to think of life as black or white. Either, or. This, that. Yes or No. 

But is it really that simple? Most of our days are spent in the in-betweens, the grey area that has moments of sunshine and raindrops, both equally as important to help us grow and flourish. These times, often confusing as there is no certainty, may seem like an unnecessarily stressful path to take yet these are the ones that teach us the most. Teaches us to build ourselves enough to weather the good and bad. Teaches us to look within and not be dependent on external situations for strength. Teaches us that at the end of the day, you don’t have to pick a destination, you just need to enjoy the ride and happiness will find you.

At the end of the (train) ride, I may or may not be drenched in rainwater on the walk home. But for that instance, all that mattered was the beauty of how well the rain and sun, hot and cold, blended together in harmony over the homes of hope, creating such a beautiful view. To me, this was a reflection of our souls, thriving each day among the good and bad. It is the existence of both that makes us appreciate the warriors we build from within.