If you’re reading these words right now, you’ve probably wrapped up the loose ends on your plate and are getting ready to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Maybe you’ve planned a trip or a celebration. Maybe you just want to curl up at home and take it easy.
Either way — wonderful.
However you spend it, make sure you truly enjoy yourself and rest well. You’ve earned it.
This year especially — it hasn’t been easy for anyone. But we made it through, and that alone is worth raising a glass to yourself and giving yourself a real break.
But if you tell Master Chi you’re planning to use this holiday to push harder on your career — let me put my hand on your shoulder and insist that you ease up, at least a little.
Understand this: life is a journey both remarkably long and heartbreakingly short. Along the way, so many of life’s most beautiful moments bloom only within a specific season — and once that season passes, it’s gone.
The joyful abandon that belongs to youth can only be fully savored when your energy is at its peak and your heart is unburdened by worry. The deep fulfillment of adult life can only be felt completely when your parents are still with you, your partner is by your side, and your children are near.
These exquisite fragments of life, once past, are nearly impossible to reclaim.
So — gather the blossoms while they bloom. Don’t let the grind of building your career cause you to abandon these rare and precious things. One day, you and I will both reach the end of this journey. When that moment comes, your career will be only a small part of what you cherish and look back on. Far greater will be the quiet, beautiful moments scattered throughout this remarkable trip.
So please — do not miss the sweetness of life. Savor every drop of it.
As for Master Chi? I’ll be spending this holiday with family, catching up with friends, reading some books I’ve been looking forward to — and probably doing a bit of fishing.
A pity traveling abroad isn’t convenient right now. Otherwise I might have chartered a small island somewhere in Southeast Asia and soaked in the lingering warmth of midsummer.
Finally, dear reader — Master Chi wishes you and your family a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie), and a stretch of truly unforgettable happiness.
Stay safe. Stay joyful. I’ll see you on the other side of the holiday!