Surfing in Shanghai

I am walking home from the subway this evening. The way to my apartment in quiet, considering it's the downtown shopping district in Shanghai. There are three large department stores near the subway station, probably several more within a two block radius that I am not aware of. I'm not really big on shopping in big department stores.

A block away from the subway station, the street is quiet, lined with small boutiques selling custom-made Chinese dresses for women, custom-made ("bespoke") suits for men, and modern women's clothing. My first week here, I notice a shop with a cool Hindu name, and then a few days later, I walk by it at night and see several workmen inside bashing the walls down.

Within a week, the Hindu sign is gone. I can faintly hear the voice of an old Hindu guru echoing in the distance as I walk by, his Indian accent rising and falling playfully in staccato tones, saying "This is the nature of maya, the illusory world, one day Hindu women's fashion boutique is here, one day, it is gone. Accept this fact and do not cling, my son."

So, they're bashing the walls down, and a week later, there's a funky new boutique there.

Today, I walk by and notice there's an English quote written on the front door of the new, hip boutique, and so I stop in front of the store. The women who is standing at the door wonders why I have stopped there, maybe to buy a scarf for a friend? However, I tell her I would like to read the English quote on the door. I am sure she has no idea what it says, and I'm curious if it actually makes sense. Who knows, maybe I have happened upon a bit of wisdom for the day.

The quote talks about finding that wave, paddling into it, standing up, and savoring the sweetness of the ride. It's proper English, and I like it. I have several friends who surf, and to them, there's nothing like it. An experience of "flow" that sounds closer to God than any morning in church reciting three hundred year-old hymns.

She asks me what it's about, and unbelieveably, I remember how to say surfing (衝浪; chong1 lang4) in Chinese. I tell her I like it and then head home, surfing this wave that is my life in Shanghai.