Being slow, it’s not just about patience or speed, but also deep thinking and loving care. We can eat slowly, read and write slowly, be in a slow relationship…Doesn’t it sound cozy to you?

People who have been to HulunBuir all know that it’s a natural air anion bar for purifying souls. “Grass rivers flow through on the early morning, water sounds fly around the family houses” is exactly written for the place. And Qin Yun, who came from there, is like a maid from Chenbaerhu Grassland.  

Literary and quiet, she likes her own pace of life and special things, such as slow cities like Xiamen with pleasant weather and rich culture; the Central Book Mall where she can read with a cup of coffee; wandering around and getting some DIY materials; and even some craze in KTV when she’s not in good mood.

Even the fast-paced Shenzhen, she can find her youth and vitality. “The impression she gives to me is young people taking breakfast and walking fast for work on the streets in the morningl. Every time I saw it, I myself felt passionate and yearning. It’s beautiful here when the night comes, busy traffic and flashed neon, decorating the bustle with charm.”  

Being fast and slow, work and life, they are perfectly collocated, not against each other.

After really taking the job, Qin Yun found it sometimes can be really tiring, not just charming as it appeared. You will be strictly trained for all kinds of first-aid knowledge and services to passengers…but also you can make a bunch of friends in the journey. Therefore, she still thinks it interesting and sometimes even proud.

That makes think of A Garden Visit, “Green moss left with shoe marks, brushwood gate shut with silence. Garden filled with spring colors, one spray of red blossom peeps out of the wall.” What can we finally get in the life? Disappointment or surprising happiness?

With so many beautiful things around, we just can’t slow down and enjoy them. We step into the garden and think it worthless even with one spray of red blossom peeping out, we catch up with each other, we evaluate each step of our future, but we can’t catch up with our souls.

Life is not racing and each of us is different. Like the saying in Honen, “Before your soul is gone, please take a look at your life and live in the day.”

Maybe we can be like her, taking our time to live.