Perspective on Bees and other Things

These are the perfect days. The temperature at 78 F and the sky clear and soaring. I haven't been away from China long enough yet to not appreciate this. Before too long I fear I will take the quiet and the clean air for granted. What a shame.

In the meantime I can still enjoy an easy 10-minute trip across the city to an excellent bagel shop for breakfast and a leisurely reading of the Sunday paper. After that a half-hour at the bookstore and on to the house for an afternoon spent reading and studying on the patio in the secluded backyard. Wind in the trees, a warm sun, hummingbirds, bees, flowers and squirrels to entertain me.

All this is made so much more delicious having not had it while living in Shanghai. Triangulation is an important tool to enjoying life. I was listening to a podcast of an old Alan Watts lecture last night and he was discussing why it is hard to really understand one's own culture without having experienced another culture (more on that soon). The same perspective can be gained by living in another environment for awhile. I don't take bees for granted anymore.