Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Sauce, Vinegar, and Tea; Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, Poetry, Wine, and Flowers

1

On the weekend, the weather was good, so I went to the Olympic Forest Park for a run.

Although the epidemic is not over yet, the park was crowded with people. There were children flying kites, old people practicing Tai Chi, young people running, and couples walking. Everyone was wearing masks, but they couldn’t hide the smiles on their faces.

I saw an old man writing water calligraphy on the ground with a large brush. His writing was powerful and beautiful. It wrote: “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea; Zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and flowers.”

These two lines of poetry represent two different states of life. The former represents the trivial material life, and the latter represents the elegant spiritual life.

Most people are busy with firewood, rice, oil, and salt all their lives, and rarely have time to enjoy zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But even if we are busy, we should not forget the pursuit of spiritual beauty.

Life is not just the compromise in front of you, but also poetry and distance.

2

While running, I was thinking about the meaning of life.

Why do we live? Is it to make money? For fame? For power?

I think the meaning of life lies in experience. Experience joy and sorrow, experience success and failure, experience love and hate.

Life is a journey, the destination is not important, what is important is the scenery along the way and the mood when viewing the scenery.

We should cherish every moment, live every day seriously, and leave no regrets.

3

After running, I bought a bottle of water and sat on a bench to rest.

Next to me were a young couple talking. The girl said, “I want to go to Dali to see the sea.” The boy said, “Okay, we’ll go when the epidemic is over.”

Hearing their conversation, I suddenly felt very warm.

Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. It can give us strength, courage, and hope.

I hope everyone can find their true love and live a happy life.

Published at: Mar 24, 2020 · Modified at: Jan 14, 2026