If Virginia Woolf can, then so can I!

Last night I had one of those terrible nights, where the potential catastrophes befalling all of my loved ones at that very moment kept sleep so firmly at bay. I've had no energy for days, and so many things that I ought to be doing, that I want to be doing. Peaceful thoughts didn't help, Brain Training 2 didn't help, went to the bathroom, got a drink of water, blew my hayfevered nose. Nothing helped. So I picked up one of my most recent Bookmooch acquisitions "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf. Right there in the introduction, is a sentence that I will paraphrase (low energy remember, and the book is next door): After those first pages, she didn't get anything further done on the book all summer, as she was ill with headaches, low energy levels and fainting, even though she was very excited about the book and wanted to be working on it.

Now I realise that Virginia Woolf had far greater problems in her life than I do. But it is comforting all the same to know that sometimes these things can get the better of you. I will keep trying, taking small steps, and one day soon my energy will return and I will have a night's sleep not filled with anxiety dreams.

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Beijing Postcards: Day 5


Ferry at the Summer Palace
Originally uploaded by Kel_eh
We started at the zoo to see the pandas. I have very mixed feelings about zoos, but I understand they have a role to play in conservation and China certainly has been actively researching and conserving their panda population since 1996. The pandas from the wildlife reserve in the earthquake zone have come to Beijing zoo to relax and recover although they are not on display of course.

We then took a dragon boat up ancient canals to the summer palace. We crossed the palace lake in this stunning ferry. Beautiful buildings, an ancient decorated long walk, bridges with 17 arches, and willows weeping into the water. It was like stepping into a scroll.
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Beijing Postcards: Day 4


Shuaifuyuan Hutong
Originally uploaded by Kel_eh
We went down this hutong for an excellent dinner of Peking duck. We walked back along a street divided by a narrow park along its length. Old couples sipped their tea at little stone seats; people walked their small dogs and exchanged greetings while the dogs did too; couples walked hand in hand, cherishing the snatched privacy not possible in crowded living quarters, especially for unmarried couples.
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