Finally writing a review of Ann Liang’s “I Am Not Jessica Chen” and this quote came to mind:
“It seems to be a defining trait of many parents that they’ll pick one incredibly specific thing and treat it as the source or solution of all your problems. For my dad, it’s always been exercise. Have a fever? Too little exercise. In a foul mood? Go exercise. A bad acne flare-up? Not enough exercise. Existential crisis? Exercise will help. Find yourself kidnapped and stranded on a remote island? It could’ve been avoided if only you’d run a little more in your free time.”
This quote elicited an interesting response from a friend, who pointed me to tech writer Michael Swaine’s article “Walking” (see below for link). Swaine started his article by quoting Spanish poet Antonio Machado: “Travellers, there is no path; paths are made by walking.” He then talked about the benefits of walking, with this conclusion: “The unconscious nature of walking means that you can go ahead and be distracted. And the distractions are a big part of why you want to go for a walk in the first place.”
Swaine’s article very much reminded me of Australian poet Jake Goetz’s argument that walking is a “privileged activity” (see “Warm Winter Read” Day 16). Yet, at this stage, I am just delighted by the last stanza of Swaine’s villanelle “The Author of This Tale”, which he said is an expansion of that Antonio Machado quote above:
“The pen that births each new detail,
is in your hand. It’s you, you find,
Who is the author of this tale
And till you walk it there is no trail.”
Villanelle – that’s a new word I learned today. Meanwhile, Swaine’s article can be viewed here: https://michaelswaine.substack.com/p/walking
(Image thanks to: Australian Poetry Journal Vol.14.1, “Walking” [https://australianpoetrypublications.org/products/australian-poetry-journal-vol-14-1-walking])
(Day 48 #WarmWinterRead #WWR25 via @librarieschangelives)
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 