These days I have been mysteriously in low spirits. I don’t mean I have been very sad or in a bad mood. I just don’t feel like doing things. Life seems to have lost its charm and there appears to be nothing to live for. I don’t know the causes for sure. Is it the work pressure? Yes but no. Maybe it is the digestion disorders I have had for many years. Recently the problem is getting worse. Perhaps it is the loneliness with my wife and son away. It might be something I’m not aware of subconsciously.

Kind of bored with life, I picked up a book, actually one for American high school students. I sat back on the sofa and began to read casually. However, only reading several pages, I was attracted by the story of the novel. The little hero was in a single-engine plane with the pilot headed for the Canadian wilderness, where he would visit his father. Unfortunately the pilot had a heart attack and then died.

You can imagine how he felt when he was suddenly thrown into such a situation. You just have no choice high up in the sky. Though the plane was not a complex type, he had never received any training on how to drive a plane. By the memory of how the pilot operated the plane, he somehow kept the plane flying on. When it ran out of fuel, he miraculously managed to touch down on a lake and narrowly escaped being drowned.

Life was unfair to this little boy. His parents divorced not long after he saw his mother seeing a blond man secretly. And he had to live with his mother and then his father. Left on a land without any human trace, he nearly mentally broke down. Hunger, cold, and swarms of mosquitoes, the uncontrollable loneliness…, you can imagine what kind of life he led. He must face the devastating truth: “Right now I’m all I’ve got. I have to do something.” He must learn to survive.

The same old familiar daily life would make us numb. It could be a sign that we need a break in the routine. A vacation can be one of the solutions. However, it might not be a cure for all. We need something to wake us up. I guess by thinking of a situation like the one the little hero was in, we could change our mood for the better. Yes life is imperfect and many things are just out of our control, but the point is that we should always think positive and stay on top of things. Sometimes we do have to get motivated. The resources you have may be limited, but you at least have yourself, which is the most valuable asset. Don’t forget you are the best thing you have even if you had lost everything else.

Life is a river, always moving. When you have a lot of bad stuff happening, remember that doesn’t mean you will never succeed. Life is not a dirt pond. Fresh water is flowing down from the source and on the way. Loser or winner, all have become history. You can always start all over again.