In Search of Wisdom
A hundred years ago, the most powerful man in the world – for all his riches and might – couldn’t have done this.
And yet today, we fly above forests of clouds, islanded amongst seas of white, uninterrupted sunsets lining the entire horizon.
I try not to take it for granted.
I’m in my car as Alicia Keys sings. It’s cold. Raindrops fall on my windscreen, my eyes defocus as I wait out the jam. It’s dark, but not late enough in the evening for the streetlamps to come on, and even gloomier than usual.
I have no idea what to say as I head to the hospital.
It was just a simple visit to my girlfriend’s home, a week after returning from 14 days in Japan. Her dad turns around and they speak in Cantonese, I don’t understand a word. She looks shocked. She says an old family friend, whom she met the week before flying to Tokyo, has just passed away. In his sleep, of his first and last heart attack. No chance to say goodbye.
3 weeks ago, alive, jovial and joking. 3 weeks later, gone.
She texts me out of the blue last week, hadn’t seen her in months and didn’t think she’d be back from overseas so soon. Her mom has cancer, she says. They just found out the night she got back, and the morning I call, the doctor tells them she has two to three months left.
I’m in my car as Alicia Keys sings. It’s cold. I step on the accelerator bit by bit, inching closer to my destination. Take these material things, they don’t mean nothing, it’s you that I want. All at once, I had it all, but it doesn’t mean anything , now that you’re gone…
There are three things I know about that title.
One, I don’t think there are a lot of people curious. Two, real dragons don’t exist, so they couldn’t possibly be missing. Three, I love that title so much I decided to go ahead and write a ‘sorry for not blogging’ type of post even though I really dislike them.
The main reason I’ve been away is that I’ve been literally away. Due to foreseen and unforeseen reasons, I spent nearly the entire month of March in Japan. Never in a thousand years did I ever imagine this would happen, and I feel a profound sense of gratitude that it did, even now.
The foreseen reason was due to a 2-week holiday with my girlfriend, long planned and awaited for. The unforeseen reason was for work, a last-minute 1-week photography workshop with Magnum photographer Abbas, and event visit, both arranged by Sony. Both were incredibly fun, enriching and full of landmark, once-in-a-lifetime moments for me, for which, I’m not afraid to repeat myself, I still feel immensely grateful for.
And now that I’m back, I’m determined to spend more time parked in front of my keyboard, and continuing writing. Contrary to what my absence might have suggested, I couldn’t give this up, not for the world. I love writing too much.
Checking out these grand old ladies in Arashiyama, Japan.