Hot Spring

What springs to your mind when you think of hot spring? 

Perhaps it would be the geysers at Yellowstone National Park, hot pools at Rotorua, New Zealand, or the onsens of Japan. 

Well, the "Hot Spring" by Raymundo Albano can be found at the National Gallery Singapore and it had befuddled me for weeks, and this is my attempt to unravel it.

Albano's over-sized spring is a standout and made all the more so in red. A spring may collapse or dip, but it would invariably spring back to stand tall again. 

Slinky (Graceful in Swedish)
 Photo credit: Andy Brown

When a spring is well made with the best-fit design and materials it would consistently bounce back and stay in its original shape or stance. A spring has its purpose and does well when serving its intended purpose.

Photo credit: AliExpress.com

A spring reminds us that we need to develop our character such as resilience, tenacity and gracefulness so that we remain firmly planted on both our feet like a great boxer who could roll with the punches.

Beetle Bailey may be beaten down again in the the following comic sketch by Mort Walker, but he always bounce back and carry on.  

Image credit: Mort Walker/King Features Syndicate

Setbacks or challenges are like free tuition for us to learn new lessons in life so that once learnt, we can avoid future pitfalls and live our life forward with passion, resilience and strength like a hot spring.