Scattered thoughts
Navigating the throng of people can be awkward.
Just try not to make eye contact.
Oops, I reflexively offered a smile and they stared back and now I feel self-conscious.
No matter how I walk, what I wear, I’m conspicuous. We’re conspicuous. We’re a spectacle, in fact. We sightsee, and in return, we provide a sight to see.
Navigating the traffic can be stressful.
Everyone who owns a motorcycle needs to calm down.
Is it the ownership of a motorcycle that drives the aggressive behavior, or is it the kind of person who would get a motorcycle that is more aggressive in the first place?
Where is everyone rushing to, anyway?
We saw a sign on the side of the road that said, “Better late in this life than early to the next.”
Navigating unstructured time can be beautiful.
There are countless stories to be shared between old friends and strangers alike.
Words tumble unbidden when given the chance.
Wisdom might be offered in the form of a song.
Navigating the crowded streets can be painful.
First I stare, then I berate myself for staring, and then I struggle with the desire to look away, and then I wonder what I can do, what any of us can do.
Joints aren’t supposed outsize their limbs that much.
Legs don’t usually bend that way.
Where are their parents?
What happened to dignity in old age?
If I look at them straight on, then what? Does acknowledging it somehow lessen the injustice?
Navigating the holy sites can be confusing.
I try not to misstep. Literally. Removing one’s shoes is a must.
I try to look out of the corner of my eye so it’s not too obvious that I have no idea what I’m doing.
If I follow along with everyone else, hopefully I won’t offend anyone.
Navigating one’s inner landscape can be enlightening.
I am always with me, but why has it taken going somewhere else to think about that?
He asked me, what is mind?
I asked myself, why haven’t I thought of that before?
He told me to focus on my nose.
Most of the time I forget I even have a nose.
– Joanna Zhang
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