Chinese Version
06-01-2021，Tuesday，Very cozy

I never dreamt I would drive my convertible bought in California to Revere Beach in Massachusetts for my favorite holiday of more than 40 years: International Children’s Day on June 1.

At the beach, We enjoyed the benefits of coming on a working day: plenty of parking spaces and very few tourists. On the beach that I had dreamt countless times in my childhood of a sunny afternoon, just sitting down and watching the ocean view brought me a sense of achievement. While watching the tireless ocean waves, listening to its powerful sounds, and smelling the salty ocean breeze, I enjoyed the ocean surroundings subtly and deeply. That I was able to experience such a enjoyment brought a sense of achievement that I couldn’t grasp when I was a child. As my mind frequently travel from 40 years to now and from my hometown Zigong in China to the beach in US, I was very happy for not being confused or lost.

While sitting on the beach and reciting Lemontov’s “Sail”, one of my favorite poems, the ocean breeze softly blew on my face and I enjoyed the beauty of words. I suddenly found that the “lonely moan and tangled loss” blue I used to tasted from “Sail” had disappeared. I once again realized that after many rich life experiences, the same words could induce different feelings. The doctors can only perform a physical check-up on me but reading can perform a spiritual check-up on me. Reading helps me to enjoy the harvest of my soul.

While sitting on the beach, I searched for my memories of longing for June 1st Children’s Day: I wanted sweets because candy was rare, I wanted to wear skirts because “To face the powder and not to powder the face” was the popular trend. The joys at that time were very simple. I remember that the long-awaited desire to wear skirts on Children’s Day was not often realized because there were no pantyhose then and it was often too cold on Children’s Day.

In the mind of my childhood, the teacher was the absolutely correct representative and a higher authority than my parents. I don’t know whether this cognition was my understanding or if it was the social custom of those born-the-60s. My mindset made me lament the generation gap between me and my children on International Children’s Day in 2017.

My mother is always a part of my childhood. While sitting on the beach, I told the story of my late mother and also listened to the story of another mother. While looking at the sea and talking about mothers, I thought of the lyrics of “the great ocean like my mother, no matter where I am, is always by my side” from the song “The great ocean, my hometown”, which was very popular in the 1980s in China. On June 1st. Children’s Day, I sat on the beach and told my mother’s story and I felt that my late mother came to me and we exchanged the joy of loving and being loved.

On Children’s Day, at the seaside, it was wonderful to recall and share the joyful good old times which I want to remember forever. “The good old times when we were poor economically, but psychologically rich and genuine.”

Be childlike！ Maturity is an attitude towards life, but being childlike is a way of life.

Little Episodes

1.The Sail
（Russian） Mikhail Lermontov
(First paragraph)
A lonely sail glowing
In the blurry see.
What is he looking for? In this far away space.
What is he leave behind? In his home place.

2. 11-17-2013, when Nianqin was alive, I quoted from her:

Nianqin, my late high school classmate, once said: “In Classical Buddhist: a person’s maturity is in the mind. A person’s innocence is in his eyes. Maturity and innocence are not contradictory words. Maturity is an attitude towards life, innocence is a way of life. Every face will grow old, but the way of life can be young for a lifetime. If LaoTian loves you and is watching over you, he will make you childlike all your life.”

3. 2021-06-01, The sun, the beach, and the ocean wave…

After living for half a century, on International Children’s Day in June 1st, a ceremony on the beach is like a dream: singing songs, reciting poems, sharing the past, chatting about parents, being blown by the wind in a convertible, doubling the fun by Chinese white spirit, oh, it’s unforgettable.