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Though I am not worried about my recent absence from the social media, I can't help but feel strange, as if a part of me was missing or different, not in a bad way.

In fact, it is a real treat, since I only just came back to my normal life for 2 weeks, after all the vacations, festivities, cold and germ fighting. I feel that my life and my mind is still chilling. I read other people's postings, and generously liking and maybe cheering them on or reposting. That's pretty much what I have been doing and taken a liking to. How I enjoy keeping a low key!

From my observations of some postings and my own reflection about my (former) self, I feel that we are "living too hard". It's as if life is this gigantic puzzle that requires us to endlessly deep diving into, to seek the answer. Put in another way, as if everyday is a new challenge, a battle, so to speak, and we must put on the best of ourselves, the game face, so that we don't get "creamed". Yeah, everyone else is out there to get us, so we must be prepared and fight. Life is a Pandora's box for us from the moment we were born. So? Is it true?

The word for this phenomenon is: chill. Just live and be. Life is not that complicated. Live and enjoy it rather than fight it. Maybe your battle is with the perfectionist self who has this thing called ego. We are living in a world of chaos and constant change. What seems to be perfect today at this moment - a person, a tool, a piece of equipment - may and most likely, not be perfect in another circumstance, or in the next day with things being changed. 

Learning to kiteboard took me an embarrassingly long time. I watch others, and listen to friends' instructions. I tried very hard, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get on the board to ride. Every time I was out in the water, I was literately battling with the wind and waves, helpless, frustrated. I did become expert in body dragging and became stronger, though. 

There were two advices, among others, given to me by two different people, which eventually helped me get on the board and ride. The first advice was from Ms. P, and she said: "When I first learned, I tried very hard to control the kite, fighting it against the wind and I got so tired. Someone told me to instead let the wind take the kite to where it should be, and work with it." It really helped me to spend less energy wrestling the kite, but I still couldn't get on the board and ride for a long distance. 

This other day, Mr. J saw me bobbing in the water trying to get on the board, he told me after I got back to shore: "You can try to point the board toward the kite when you dive the kite and tug the back foot in, let the kite bring you up from the water and ride." The next time I tried it, I got it, and I was able to kite a longer distance! In order to get on the board, I have to first go downwind, then I lean back and point the board upwind, so I can ride upwind!

So this is my own story about working with nature as oppose to against nature (outside of "Zhuangzhi Speaks" http://www.amazon.com/Zhuangzi-Speaks-The-Music-Nature/dp/0691008825)