It isn’t every day that I feel a surge of gratitude over my life situation.

Today was refreshingly different.

Marched out of school with my class of essays in tow, wanting to seek refuge in the air-conditioned comfort of the Kopitiam inside Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. (I had gained enough CrowdTask coins to get a free cup of coffee, which explained why I would walk all the way there.)

Received a message from the student care centre.
My son was complaining of pain in his lower tooth. He earlier complained of fatigue during his Chinese lesson. Maybe the pain he was experiencing made him feel sluggish.

My weary soul was pummeled by this unwelcome intrusion. Decided to eat properly first. But of course, I could not relax nonchalantly, so I made an appointment with the dental clinic.

Thank goodness they had an available slot at 3pm. Quickened my steps towards the student care centre after lunch, fetched the boy and hurriedly made our way to the clinic.

The dentist extracted his first milk tooth 🦷. So momentous! Soon my boy would be fully grown and funding my retirement! Remembered to take a photo or two for remembrance’s sake.

Went back home. Thank goodness the clinic was a stone’s throw away from my place. Resumed my marking of varied-effort compositions.

My eyes drooped. Fell into a nap.

Thank goodness I didn’t dream of my students’ work. Woke up. Resumed marking. Took photos and messaged three parents. It’s gonna take a village to make a child pass his PSLE. Messaged my weakest child. “Memorise ‘It was a scorching afternoon’ as your first line,” I implored firmly.

Wait? Such an eventful afternoon — and it was still before 6pm? I thank my lucky stars that the skeletal structure of my life is so well aligned that I can more or less proceed with my original plan in spite of emergencies that demand my attention. Nothing much to ask of life, really.