Footprints on sand dunes, ripples on the calm sea, dewdrops on a morning lawn...leave your signs here as your mind leads...
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was almost 7:00 pm. I
was glad that the shop was still open; otherwise, I would have had to come again
for the third time the next day.
I was browsing and
overheard the shop lady, likely the owner, having lively chatter about her
commodities with a middle-aged woman.
“This one is better than the others, and it’s more expensive,” the shop lady explained to the middle-aged woman while pointing her finger in my direction.