Exploring Jiangcheng

Tromping up the side of an unmarked, very ungroomed hill in search of a nice place to sit, read, and enjoy the scenery, I conceded to heading back down to the bottom when all I found at the top were a few scraggly trees, obstructed views, and not so accommodating seating. Making my way up and then down the hill was a nice trek until I realized that the tall grasses and underbrush that I was tromping upon was likely teaming with unknown creepy crawlies. Hurriedly I made my way down to the pasture where I began, to be greeted by a man in a suit. He came over and talked to me in Chinese, pointing to the hillside, smiling merrily. After a few minutes of happy chatter, he went back to collecting plastic bottles, leaving me to enjoy the bright blue, cloudless sky, and the never ending green hills.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the grass, bathing in the warmth of the sun, letting my mind wander through memories, as my ipod played through some of my all-time favorite songs. The Grateful Dead, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, The Weepies, Elvis Costello, Michael Buble, and The Allman Brothers. This is one of my favorite play lists to listen to when I'm in need of contemplation, for wandering thoughts, for dreaming of the future. It reminds me of summers with my dad and car trips with my mom. It gets me dreaming of my future, reminds me of how much I have waiting for me at home, and how much unknown I've yet to discover.

Alone in the pasture, I belted out my favorite lyrics and danced when my feet felt like moving, completely free of the constraints that the presence of others imposes. I spent the entire afternoon indulging in my silly whims to just be. What a funny sight I must have been for the poor villager passing by. But I had an unexpectedly extraordinary day.