I went out to run some errands, stopping at a few stores, but I couldn’t get what I wanted. I called my mother, and she told me that a store at the far end of the shop lots had it. I decided to walk there. As I was walking near the store, a woman selling Yao Zha Guai on the roadside asked me to purchase some from her. My head was occupied with the task at hand, so I responded rather coldly. I simply nodded my head and continued toward the store.
I came out of the store holding a few bottles of floor cleaner, feeling relieved. I walked back along the same path. This time, upon passing the same woman’s stall, I decided to stop and buy some Yao Zha Guai from her. A different sense of relief emerged inside me, and I was certain that it was quantitatively different from the relief of having bought the floor cleaner. She thanked me for stopping by and even went so far as to give me an extra piece. The immensity of this kindness cannot be overstated; it was God manifested.
This encounter might have seemed mundane from the outset, a simple exchange of kindness between the giver and the given, but in reality, it was sacred. As I turned and headed back to my car, I laughed. It was something so rare and at the same time worthless that it might as well be left ignored. However, I felt more accomplished in that single moment than I ever do pursuing the things people are so obsessed with. I was happy. I was a true human being again.