200 Mark

I was ecstatic to receive notification that my hiking group broke 200 memberships since it's inception two years ago. Number is one thing but the influence it has to make more people hiking-induced certainly is the reason for joy.

My hiking group has registered different culture, people of different origins. The good thing I can gleefully hike with like-minded people and chat with many different topics that are beyond my scope of knowledge.

Sometimes I purposely flout all hiking etiquette, if there is any, to allow more flow of free spirit that won't happen in other groups. I love this group and believe there are many years to enjoy hiking as a dose of healthy exercise. Hope many more will be attracted to hiking as a past time.

School Time

Summer is over. Schools start..in fact my elder has started his term, with the youngest son on next week, daughter one after. On surface, not much they had done during Summer , not field trips, certainly not readings. I got used to the idea letting kids to relax and enjoy their holidays. In the past I would have been uptight for my kids not to do something "useful' during Summer. Now I preach life long learning that kids have all the time in the world for study. All they need is an attitude that goes with learning. I prefer marathon to sprint. The way I look thing is changing just like many things in life. For better or worse, I don't know. I just feel ease and communicate well with kids that way.

Weekly Grocery

Never before appeal to me that grocery is a great way to get closer to my teenage sons and daughter. Although we talk often, not all subjects are of their interest. Once these kids choose what they want in snacks and in the process of grocerying, many more conversations resulted from snacks and foods that never come up before. What a weekly ritual!

Childhood

Received calls from hot line last night. One call is particularly heart wrenching. This guy in mid 20's has been depressed for a couple months. For some reasons, he has nightmare every time he sleeps that really bothers him a great deal. He rekindles his story where he was physically abused by grandma and uncle, while his parents were still in mainland (eventually parents got divorced, another blow!). He vividly recalled an instant where he was stripped bare, beaten and kicked out naked in front of dozen relatives. He recalls these realtives were laughing at the other side of door. He just couldn't let go with this instant that haunts him to this day. Frankly, this guy spoke eloquently and articulates his points very well. If inertia continue like this, he is worried what future lies with him. Sometimes trauma in childhood has done harm to many. Although this man has ability to survive, he nonetheless has been incapacitated by past experiences. Unless he repeals not represses all these bad experiences, he has a long way to go to become psychological sound again. Not feel well at all after hearing this call.