We had a delightful evening, my colleagues and I. And, the young lady. However, it was over all too soon. I met the young lady, with my colleagues once more, and never again afterwards. A short interlude in life, like two ships passing in the night.
A lady at a shop in York once told me, when I bought a CD of music from the 60's, that you know you are becoming old when nostalgia is your favourite emotion.
As you are becoming old, it is often said, that you have nothing left to look forward to, but death. This is why, older people often live life as though they are looking at life through a rear view mirror. The past is what they (and we, in the future) have left to cling to.
Thich Nhat Hanh would have us live life in the present, and to leave each moment to the fullest, and this, I believe is the most practical, the fullest way to live our lives.
However, indulge me a bit as I look back at the evenings in Hou Hai with a little bit of nostalgia and a little bit of wonder.
Hou Hai is, in many ways, a celebration of Beijing's way of life. Definitely a little slower than Shanghai's, yet it preserves much of the grace, beauty and culture of the Chinese way of life. As you move along the bars of Hou Hai, listening to the rock music play, and make your way to the entrance of Hou Hai, you are suddenly confronted by a whole new scene.
There is a little square at the entrance, and there you see people willing to give you a massage - a genuine massage, or a haircut. There are people selling things. And, as you look around, you are drawn to the group of people dancing. Sometimes a Chinese dance, sometimes a waltz. As a stranger, they welcome you to join the dance, with smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts. There is no barrier, only the bond of music, and a shared love for a graceful dance.
The old couples are genuinely caught up in their dance, and they dance with abandon. They are really living in the moment of the dance, which is why the dance is so free, and which is when they possibly experience true uplift.
Life can be difficult, and mundane. The evenings at Hou Hai, dancing with partners and friends, in the warm summer evenings is truly beautiful. Who says you need money to experience happiness/
When remember the people dancing, then yes, I do believe that there is wisdom in the words of Thich Nhat Hanh.
If we all listened a bit more, possibly, we'd build bridges rather than break them.
Till then, enjoy the dance.
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