The Name of Life

Last Wednesday, I returned to the neighbourhood where I used to work for twenty-five years. Down the main road, where I used to walk every Monday to Friday evening, except on public holidays, the noon sun was harsh, but the breeze kept the air light and fresh.

Several old shops have been replaced by new cafés or food takeaways, while some seem to fight on with new branding. I felt unfamiliar with the whole area, but nearly four years have passed since my last evening walk down the road from the office to take a bus.

Le Voyage

A colleague introduced me to hiking about ten years ago. Although I am not a keen enthusiast, I try hiking once a month, except during the summer. Most of the time, I am a follower in a hiking group made up of colleagues from work or their family members. Knowing my own limitations, I never challenge myself to conquer famous peaks or dangerous spots in pursuit of this hobby. Instead, the unique periods of solitude with nature during a journey are the motivation that keeps me in this pastime.

A Lady I Met At Qinghai

May is not the perfect month for traveling to Qinghai, a northwest province of the country, but I did not hesitate to accept the invitation from a friend to go there for an 18-day semi-independent tour.

I tried to invite other friends and family members to go with me. They declined outright because of their worries about their physical fitness and the risk of altitude reactions during the long journey. I guess another reason is that it is not yet a popular tourist destination. A friend has asked, ‘It’s so economically behind there; apart from deserts, what else is it famous for?’ Quite true, I knew nothing about the province either.

After a Rainstorm

This is the second rainstorm in a week. Better than the last one, the observatory issued the black rainstorm warning before dawn. Last week, I had to turn back home when the black rainstorm warning was issued after 9:00am. This time, I could have an extra hour’s sleep. Inevitably, the volunteering service session that I always enjoy has to be cancelled. It is disappointing.

Heavy rainstorms and flooding news reports have been frequent on TV for the past month. Nobody will argue that the weather has been extreme and unpredictable this year. I am not particularly interested in the causes of these extreme high temperatures, torrential rains, and thunderstorms, but getting around in such kinds of weather does cause a lot of inconvenience. Wearing a pair of wet shoes around is at the top of my annoyance list. Plans for hiking have been cancelled because my hiking friends are becoming very safety-conscious. I often end up spending the hiking time at McDonald’s having the unneeded food.

Forever is Now

Ecclesiastes 3 is my favourite chapter of the whole Bible. The beginning reads:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted…

The poetic list spells out the inevitability of the different facets of life. I think it is beautifully written but is dark and sad. I hate when people quote the twentieth verse in funerals: All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.