pu-erh
Writing this entry in the dragon year has made me understand a few things:
My female friends all really enjoy buying red underwear for me
Traveling spontaneously is not a bad thing
I made the most spontaneous vacation decision of my entire life exactly two days ago around 5pm in the afternoon to book a flight that was only three hours later. I would still call this a calculated spontaneity: how else would I be able to prepare myself for experiences that I have yet to unravel. I need to do the live laugh love first before I get to react and all. Does that make sense? Traveling makes me displace myself from my own responsibilities to others and gives me a learning space for my own interests. In my friend’s words: “Choosing happiness for myself over contentment for others.” I keep asking the same question to myself of the how when what where of my own grip.
Life is about grips and the Daoist Monk that read me my fortune at the temple here in my travels gave me a fair point about doing things differently. He calls himself an educated best guess because he hasn’t settled on the thousands of believers in his Wechat in comparison to the billions that aren’t through his own gliding pupils and raspy voice. The thing about reality is theres more of the latter most of the time. There wasn’t any cats or dogs at this random temple I climbed up. As clean and clear as the temple can be, most of the monks sat in bamboo chairs with tea in their hands. The staple for monk-hood but most definitely for Hangzhou.
As a volunteered nomad, I loitered around the major parts of this city with an unsettling conclusion towards the fact that this place creates contrast. In the sense that from the left side of the river bridge there’s an entire row of wooden carved teahouses and an entire financial distract to the right of it. In the sense that two stores next to each other can have plastic squatters with one thing on the menu that’s most likely self served while an entire bistro serving full Omakase courses exist to the right. It feels like the right kind of distinction that brings a relationship together. People merge and bond through different hobbies, backgrounds and appearances. To continuously deepen a relationship means to further differentiate each other. Through learning humans grow to understand, I think that single handedly separates any concern for transaction.
Sometimes, I think to grow together means to grow separate.
Sometimes, I think the second best is the best.
In my travels to Taiwan shortly after, my tour guide narrated her favorite part about a rainy season: “Taiwan’s rain is soft and dainty almost like it’s own way of flirting with you.” It may not be the most poetic exaggeration to tourists, but it’s fulfillment and contentment wonderers cannot reach.
I wrote the first portion of this blog entry exactly a month ago where I was at a place in life which I could only believe in the pep talks I would repeat in my own mind. Being in a more situated and solidified location, I have dreams of myself sitting in a bamboo chair with a cup of tea in hand more than often. This entry isn’t about the work that pays off after a long time, I think I used all that as an excuse to ease my own mind. I think the monk back on top of the mountain wanted me to fix my own character regardless of the disposition of fortune or unfortunate. I think I want to grab another sip of tea with him now. That’s all I have for today folks. As always, have a great day!
