A Walk on the Edge 2019 · Stefan Yang
A Walk on the Edge: North River
One of my favourite things to do is to walk around in nature in peace. Today I’ve done the same, drove to a spot about 5 minutes away from my new apartment in the hope to find inspiration to finish my assignment.
This assignment is for my Islandness class taught by Dr. Laurie, to explore the meanings of “ Islandness.”
And here are my thoughts about the edge, the sea, and the crossing.
But it starts with me, and I had to revise who I am in the first place.
It’s the hardest part of this assignment, spending hours to question myself about who I am. Try to do my best to gather every piece of information through memories to build a frame that includes me and islandness from this island that I’m living.
Honestly speaking, I am not from an island whatsoever.
But I learned to appreciate the ocean like any person who’s from an island, or a little bit more.
Where I came from, people appreciate and praise nature just like people from this island.
From January 28th of this year, every time going into the city I have to cross two bridges in the North River.
Whenever I do that, I’m always amazed by the view of a few ducklings swimming around in the frosty river and on the other side is the view of the white forest. Even farther, I can see that endless ocean.
I can sit out there with that view, sipping on some Twinings tea all day, and I am not lying.
I am that boring sometimes.
And I guess there’s no one as boring as me, who’d sit down by North River doing the same thing like what I just did? Probably not many.
The North River bridge is a transportation link that gives convenience to many millennials who work in the city with just a quick drive home.
Probably many forgot about the North River but they still remember the bridge and gas stations around the corner.
I remember that time when I visited a temple listened to a speech by a well-known monk.
He said: ”All life is interrelated, nothing exists in isolation. Everything on earth contributes to everything else. And our being is all about celebrating balance, and we search for equilibrium to find the same stillness and balance as the earth.”
Maybe, the edge, the crossing doesn’t exist anymore.
But the ocean will always be here with us.