A week after Halloween, in the dance studio, a 6 year old girl asked me, “Where did those Halloween decorations go？” “Halloween is over; you have to wait until next Halloween.” I said. She was very disappointed; she enjoyed watching those grimacing pumpkin faces, witches broomstick and black cats while she was dancing.
She wishes she can fly into next Halloween right away. When there’s a wish, time becomes a messenger that carries the present into the present; time is also a distance between present and perfect. But will next Halloween bring the same decoration or fun? Happiness is found when least expected, but not predicted.
In Chinese there’s a saying” Mark the boat to find the lost sword”. The story goes like this: once upon a time a man was crossing a river by boat. But carelessly his sword fell into the water. Immediately he made a mark on the boat. “This is where my sword fell off.” He said. As soon as the boat stopped, he jumped into the water to look for his sword at the place where he made the mark. Though the sword didn’t move, the boat had.
I wonder if the little girl will remember our conversation next Halloween.