Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Sometimes, we’re left with strong impressions from individuals we cross paths with only once. Sometimes, we spend some of our most memorable years with individuals we can’t imagine living without, only to find that we haven’t spoken to them in months, as they become a distant and often bittersweet memory. But sometimes, when we’re lucky, we find those we connect with along the way, and grow with even without continuous contact. These are the relationships that make this life precious, and these are the effortless relationships that become us unknowingly.

The only constant thing in life is change. And the ability to change together is what keeps us together. This is what my dad told me after his divorce with my mother, and that was when I truly started to embrace change. Because when we’re happy with where and what we are in life, all that change that may have seemed for the worse has actually always been for the better.

I can’t count the number of paths I’ve crossed who’ve left lasting impressions, as nearly all do. But I can count on one hand the number who have grown with me, changed with me in this life. Ian Williams is one of them, and despite the geography that sets us apart, or the time that lapses between each meeting, I know we’re bound to meet again and again. And each time we do, we learn a little more about each other, which leads us to finding out a little bit more about ourselves. Thank you for taking the time to come to Beijing (again) to visit, and bringing a bit of home to me.

Me: “Do you want to go to the Great Wall??”
Ian: “No, not really, I’ve seen all the other tourist attractions from last time I was here.”

...Here are pictures from the Great Wall (Mutianyu)

Thank you Liliang for taking the day off to come along, Sigrid for showing us the secret route to the unrestored Great Wall, the rain that caught us inside an old guard tower, and the sun that decided to come back and say hello! 'Twas a spectacular day with wonderful wonderful company :)