Journal — Tong Wang

Simple things need reminders.

Write down things I love. Repeat them. Do them. Re-read, re-write. Muse at your scribbles. Discover that person, the puzzles and secrets they tuck in the most unexpected corners. Tell a story to someone who truly matters to you. Send a letter, make a call. Cook for someone. Listen to poetry. Read Chinese. Start the day always with eggs toast avocado coffee and the infinite possibilities of creativity in the alchemy of a stack of pancakes.

Laugh at how a greeting with a stranger suddenly moves you to tears.

Tong WangFebruary 6, 2023Comment

January Dumpling Thoughts

There have been the countless inner discoveries and rediscoveries. Wandering into deep reflection. Fishing for ideas. Asking brave and beautiful questions. Asking random and silly questions. Repeating mantras. Repeating that which brings joy, truthful joy. Building rituals. Practicing rituals through repetition, practicing memory, honouring my own values and promises through each small act. Taking tiny steps. All these moments that have blessed me with much deeper peace and contentment than I have felt in a long time.

The growth isn’t linear. There are good days and bad days and a call for immense patience with oneself to keep at it.

But trust. Remind myself. Write things down. Remember. It’s okay to forget, it’s a practice. Review, repeat, re-practice. Keep at it. Trust in the rhythm of each moment. Dear dear.

reflectionsTong WangJanuary 22, 2023Comment

A Year in Review: Blessings of 2022

It’s stunning when we look back, retrace the steps, dig through the unprocessed photos - especially those unflattering candid ones. To rediscover what we thought we have forgotten, and to experience that exhiliration of being there again, as if for the first time yet with an out-of-body curious perspective, remembering, hey - I was there, I was with these incredible people, or trees, or tastes, sounds, smells, warmth of sunlight, chill of winter wind, silence of the snow, laughter, solitude, tears, wanderings, bites, feasts, small moments, xD faces again and again.

reflectionsTong WangJanuary 20, 2023Comment

2023。幸福。幸福吗？

幸福。家。人。

It’s not just being 开心, “happy”. It’s not just to have an open heart, to laugh, to give, to have fun. It’s deeper, closer, simpler yet more profound, more peaceful, more grounded, rooted, firmly bound to a sense of trust in this serene, consistent, reliable contentment. This warmth, this endearment, this blessedness. A familial, routine, yet all the while magical longevity of blessedness in the small, simple, daily moments shared with the few people and places dearest to you. Something like home.

Tong WangJanuary 3, 2023Comment

Vision Quest

This has been insane.

Truly.

I can’t quite see what I’m writing but dawn is breaking. It’s true - things are reclaiming their shapes and colours. There is such hope, such victory, such sacred memories. What an experience. My feet are frozen, legs numb. The crescent moon is still bright against a deep blue sky. The familiar warm red light emerging in distance, announcing the imminent return of the fire star.

Around 12 hours of cold and dark. No shelter. No distractions.

Just miracles. Countless doubts and thoughts of giving up. But miraculously in those moments - a fucking shooting star falls gloriously dead center of my vision, full on, full force, burning blazing a trail of hope and courage, a mantra prayer ceremony recited over and over again aloud, “Humility, Gratitude, Courage.” Tracing those three stars, Orion’s belt. The Hunter. Again and again. The stars kept me grounded. “I am a sacred part of the universe.” Again and again. Repeat. Repeat. Making up silly stories. Once Upon a Time. The pink caterpillar. Humming Scriabin. Dozing in and out of dreams, visiting the most unlikely places, peoples, times. Everything. Everything happening and nothing happening under this open air and the infinite eternal stars.

Tong WangNovember 20, 2022Comment