Eric's Beijing Diary

Sitting here in quiet contemplation. The mornings in Hangzhou are good for that--cool and misty. The sky will be blue later, but just now the morning fog hangs a translucent curtain over the quiet waters of West Lake. Tough to find solitude in this place--much easier in the morning than in the evening. But every man needs time for reflection. The October holiday. Why am I here? What is my real goal in life? What is my dream? When I am 90 years old sitting in my rocking chair and looking back on my life, what will I want to be able to see that I have accomplished? How does the way I live my life support those accomplishments? Is there anything in my life that militates against them? How much of my time and money is spent on that which will still have value five years from now? Ten years from now? Where is the next bend in the road, and what lies beyond it? Are there steps I should take to bring it about, or should I just let it happen? Are there any signs of a needed change that I need to pay closer attention to?