You see the true realm of human life in peaceful breeze and in quiet waves. You realize the original nature of the mind in plain tastes and quiet talk.

In the past months, I have observed how little I abide by this belief, though that is not entirely my own creation. As I write this in my bedroom at about 9:00PM, construction sounds buzz across the street and cars roar by on the nearby avenue. Pedestrians call out to each other noisily, horns honk, lights from a nearby office building glare directly through my bedroom window, and each day more and more junk mail in a language not my own piles up in my mailbox. When I leave the house for a bike ride or run, getting hit by a car is the expectation. Vehicle vandalism, the daily litter on one’s yard, and highly neurotic relationships are all the norm. Indeed, life here is most inharmonious, though there is little I can do about it.

I had chosen this life based on preconceived notions of the area. I had imagined a gentile Miami of the past — straw boaters, quaint gardens, exotic birds everywhere, plenty of dockage, beautiful waterfront promenades, altogether a relaxing atmosphere only to assume the position most people do after moving here, especially from elsewhere in the state. That is, retreating into one’s home and into one’s self. Thankfully, I have not settled here, and will leave so that the dwellers of this city might continue to make this the place they wish it to be, and I shall not impose my values upon them.

I keenly look forward to the next step, where hopefully I may find and cultivate the surroundings of peace and tranquility I have always wanted. Just as the verse up top from the Caigentan says, I hope to realize quiet afternoons with friends and good conversation, swept away by the breeze off the water somewhere with the gentle flow in the background there, candied persimmon on a dish at my side, and a good dog at my feet on a stunning veranda somewhere, somehow, far away.