The Window Side of My Life

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There is a picture-frame window occupying the entire wall. Through the window, you can see the blue sky, white clouds, with the Taipei skyline as the background — Taipei 101 is one of the most distinctive features among them. Before those skyscrapers are slightly lower building complexes, and before that is the long, curving green bank of the Xindian River. Egrets fly through in flocks, lightly and elegantly, like a group of white butterflies when viewed from a distance. Then you can see the river itself, quiet and calm as ever.

This is the window of my room — I fell in love with it the first time I stepped into this apartment unit. It does not merely serve as a picture-frame view, but actually as an anchor for my daily life. What else would be better than starting a day with blue sky and sunlight? This view is not only in the bedroom but also extends to the living room. The setting reminds me that I am already surrounded by nature and that I am very blessed. To the point that I believe I am already living in a kind of paradise. It’s not about the physical environment — it’s the mental state — it makes me feel that I don’t need to strive anymore, but just be. I am already living in the highest timeline that best serves me — I feel calm, relaxed, and fully myself.

An apartment unit such as this is exactly what I need at this stage of my life. After spending 25 years abroad, I need a place to settle and to heal. The space comes at the most opportune moment and it functions exactly as it should. It might be too quiet for a family with young kids, yet it is perfect for a writer and reader like myself.

As mentioned in Ecclesiastes, “there is a time for everything. …a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;…” This window view reminds me of exactly this: no matter what happened before, there is always a place to heal, to regrow and to be born again.

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