my mother was taught the ch'an concept of happiness, which was to find satisfaction in small things. i was taught to appreciate the fresh air in the morning, the colour of leaves turning red in autumn and the water's smoothness when i soaked my hands in the basin.
Anchee MinThe self was a very strange concept to me until I came to America, and my child was born with that entitlement, and that just thrilled me.
Anchee Min