When I was a little boy, I used to love to dig in the dirt in the backyard. I remember my Mom once teasing me: "What are you trying to do? Dig a hole to China?" We laughed, but I guess neither of us realized that, figuratively at least, I kept digging that hole and she was correct about where it would lead.
I'm in an introspective mood this morning. Maybe it helps to be a stranger in a strange land. I know being a lao ren certainly doesn't hurt. Maybe it's because I'm a diehard idealist. I don't know. But I see beauty all around me--even in manhole covers.
