We found ourselves at Bussorah Street this afternoon and, happily, it was crowded. I say 'happily' in the sense that it was good to see the area reviving after what must have been a traumatic period for the businesses there. And 'happily' because there were few signs (in fact, none I was aware of) of businesses having to close down. I'd wondered whether we'd see Wardah Books reopen, but it was nice and crowded, with an Arabic lesson going full steam on the upper level when I was in there. And 'happily' because it was a lovely hotly sunny afternoon and it felt almost like a holiday.
But, now I think of it, there were obviously no tourists around and Masjid Sultan was basically closed so these are early days in terms of recovery. I hope I'm not being overly optimistic in my positive assessment of the area.
Why should it make a difference to me? After all, these businesses are not my business and as long as I'm doing okay then things are quite alright thank you. But the moment I write that it's so obvious to me that none of that is true. In the oddest ways we are connected. Any sense of well-being of any depth must stretch beyond the individual. We can only thrive when the community thrives.
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