Have you ever let yourself step outside of your world, blend into the
colorful falling leaves, close your eyes, and just listen to the sound
of autumn? I did, yesterday, and it was an amazing experience...
Door County, WI
October 10, 2020
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Saturday, September 19, 2020
32 years ago...
Today was the 32-year anniversary of me being in this country. I
found the 2 diary entries I made right before I left Beijing and right
after I arrived in Chicago -- pretty incredible how we dared to drop
everything and just came to a strange place...
1988.9.13（二）
到了最后的时刻，也许这是我在中国的最后一篇日记了。
几经周折和苦难，终于要出国了，这对我到底意味着什么呢？要走了，离开这温暖的家，离开妈妈，这对我到底意味着什么呢？
明天下午上火车，15日到上海，19日从香港飞美国。这期间的艰难旅途无人知晓…
这本日记到这里就结束了。留给我的后代，但这对他们又会意味着什么呢？
别了，旧日的生活；
别了，养育我的家；
别了，妈妈…
创业艰难！
1988.9.21 （三）
一切梦想都成了现实，
在这现实之中，
生活竟好似梦幻一般。
Venturing Out (3)
It feels like Fall now, especially early in the morning. There is this crisp, fresh coolness in the air that wakes you up, especially when you're out in the middle of nowhere...
After 2 hours and 113 miles, we arrived at a vineyard in Michigan. The old couple greeted me with warm smiles and directed me to the location of 2 specific types grapes I was interested in: Concord and Jupiter. It was a sunny, beautiful day with mild winds spreading the sweet smell of the concord. It reminded me of my childhood days when concord grapes were our family favorites. Little Jupiter grapes were not only tasty, but also beautiful -- hanging there waiting for you to envy them and love them back. At that moment, the world returned back to normal. The sun was still shining, the wind was still waving, the gentle sweetness in the air was still enticing... The grape-picking experience was calm, pleasant and relaxing -- you'd take your time, pick your favorite bunch of grapes and let your mind wondering freely...
Why is this not heaven on earth???
Vineyard, Michigan
September 18, 2020
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Venturing Out (2)
Not sure if I'm going to document every small,
insignificant trip I make during the 2020 pandemic... I might, simply
because they have become such rare events now.
This
is the second time since mid March that I ventured out beyond grocery
shopping. Made a little kayak trip today, and I am so proud to have
driven 84 miles for the day!! Many of my friends asked me how I'd
adjusted the significant change in my lifestyle -- staying home for
months without any personal or business travel. Strangely, I really
didn't feel that the change required any efforts. I love it, and I am
totally at peace to stay home all day, every day! Maybe this is how the
world should be -- human beings probably don't really need to fly
around and "appear" to be so busy.
Again,
I really, truly appreciate the opportunity over the past 5 months to
slow down and settle down. To have the time and interest to ask myself a
few simple questions and allow myself to reflect every day on
what's really important in life... When you think about it, do we
really need to rush through life -- like how we've done over the past
many years????
Live the life you love, love the life you live!
Lake Barrington, IL
August 23, 2020
Sunday, August 9, 2020
The Precious 10%
It's been 5 months during which many people's lives have
been turned upside down. I feel so sorry for those who lost their family
and friends, or even those who were infected. I tried to take my
responsibility by staying home as much as possible and wearing masks
when going out...
Other
than that, having a big chunk of time to stay home is a blessing. It
forces us to slow down, to listen to ourselves and to be truly
productive. For me, the most significant accomplishment was to finish
digitizing and processing our family photos. From more than 9,000
photos (1988 to 2004), I selected about 850 pictures, less than 10% of the total, to process and
keep. The rest? Letting Go!! I've already thrown away 11 huge albums
(from the attached piles). More actions to come.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Venturing Out
Sitting here composing this email reminded me of all the
real "adventures" I've had over the years -- the countless 3am alarms
and the constant long drives logging well over 800 miles per day...
Today's
event is a MUCH milder version, and I hesitate to even call it an
"adventure." However, during the great pandemic of 2020, this can
still be considered as a drastic act.
For
the first time in 134 days, I drove 92 miles (round trip total) to
Wilmington, IL to pick out fresh blueberries. If this happened two
years ago, I might have simply forgotten to tell you about it, as so
much was going on back then. But not now, this small, insignificant
event signifies my baby steps to venture out of my "pandemic bunker."
The
entire experience was serene, surreal, and sweet. We were dropped off
at the blueberry field by an old-fashioned tractor, and were left with
many, many blueberries and all the freedom we can possibly get. After
134 days of social distancing, seeing so many kids running around was
simply disorienting.
For
the first time in a long while, I felt there was no point to rush
anything... I let myself wandering around, under the morning sun, with
the birds and kids laughing in the background... I made sure to take
the time to only pick the jumbo blueberries; I intentionally tried to go
back to the same row of branches to find the "lucky ones" that I'd missed in
the first round; I carefully examined how different size, shape and
color blueberries were co-existing together; and I could feel the tremendous
calmness going through my body -- I see nothing but these peaceful cute little
blueberries!
All in
all, I think the pandemic has shrunk my world significantly. However,
it also gives me the opportunity to slow down, to experience each small
"adventure" in a deeper way, to recognize and respect nature with new
perspectives.
Do these beautiful blueberries know how different the world has become???
Blueberry Fields
Wilmington, IL
July 25, 2020 
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Daily Schedule: July 2000
I found Dr. Michelle's summer break daily schedule from
20 years ago, when she was 10 years old. Dr. Michelle turned 30 last
Friday -- time flies.
I
have also been scanning/processing some 400+ old photos. There are many
great photos over the years during special times and at exotic
locations... But I love this one, at home, when Dr. Michelle was only
3.5 years old. It's so ordinary, and with such a level of nothingness
to it. But that's life -- a sum of countless ordinary moments. And
somehow, through these endless trivial little things, a 3-year old
turned into a doctor who can save lives.... Pretty unfathomable, but
entirely possible.
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