Life Is Slowly Returning to Normal
After the Start of Autumn (Li Qiu), Beijing has become cooler day by day, especially after several heavy rains. Because of the pandemic and to reduce waste, my study was, for a while, lent to a friend; a few days ago that friend left for another city, and the study is mine again.
I had not tidied my study for a long time, so over the last two days I gave it a thorough clean. After someone else looked after the place, two of the potted flowers I had grown died. Today I planted new seedlings in those two pots and trimmed the branches and leaves of the other plants; the study, once so vibrant, has taken on a fresh look again.
I had at one point pessimistically believed that under the onslaught of COVID-19 this small space, which for years had served as my spiritual home, might not survive. Many patients also lamented this, because this place was their source of hope. But once my friend moved in, the study was at least temporarily preserved.
After the second wave of the epidemic in Beijing, many people could not hold on; many tenants in our building moved out. I do not know how much longer I can rent here; if things go badly later, I may still give up the lease at any time. But there is no need to think that far ahead; at least for the next few months I can continue my research here.
Life is short, and the days behind us are many. Living in a Beijing that has weathered two waves of the epidemic, I have the feeling of one who has survived a disaster. As ever, I love life; wherever I can exercise control, I like to set everything in lively order. I pray that those who have died in this disaster may rest in peace. We who remain should cherish every day and cherish this hard-won life. Since I have survived, however hard the days, I wish to watch all life blooming with passion.
If I am fortunate enough to survive the recurring epidemics of the future, then years from now, looking back on this period, there will surely be many reflections. History will eventually deliver a fair judgment on everything happening today; the truth will not be buried by the self-praise of the shameless. Those who are guilty will surely be nailed to the pillory and reviled by later generations—it is only a matter of time.
I am an optimistic person with a vigorous life force, loving and cherishing this life, and never wanting to live in dejection. In the new normal, I am still willing to devote full enthusiasm to developing new pleasures. If the days are hard, then live them well; live them well, and they become easy.