I have been living alone ever since university graduation and I don't recall having friends staying with me for more than a couple of days during all these years. Recently I offered a new friend to stay in my place while he was in town for a few weeks.
I was very humbled listening to his experience of growing up, the difficulty and the pain he went through. There was also a fun side, listening to his adventurous past. Living in Hong Kong, I have always considered myself outside of mainstream. And having heard him talking about his life, I feel that I am not even close. In Hong Kong, a person's occupation defines him or her. If I apply the same theory to this friend, his path is certainly one of spiritual freedom, choosing nomadic travelling above mainstream ordinary life.
This friend is so different from what he appears to be. Beneath the quiet and reserved appearance is a kind, caring, gentle and yet misunderstood soul. It breaks my heart to see someone going through so much suffering since childhood, physically and mentally. I also have a lot of respect and admiration for someone who despite all these challenges, is not crushed and still has the determination to move on. It takes talent and lots of inner strength.
I remember in The Little Prince, the fox said, "Bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." ("One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.") He also said, "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" and "It is the time you have devoted to your rose that makes your rose so important." Don't know why these quotes came up when I was thinking about the time we spent together.
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