Lucky people

"No, that’s not right. No way! If that had happened, I never would’ve met my potato-like husband, or had my older child who looks like a chestnut and my younger one who looks like an acorn."

Sometimes I wonder, why didn’t I study harder in school? If I had put in the same effort I do now reading books in my book club, where would I be? What would I be doing? But then I think of my potato, my chestnut, and my little acorn—and I smile.

I may no longer have the flushed, apricot-like face I had in my navy school uniform, but my book club friends, with their soft makeup, feel just as fun and lively as those old school days. Every second Wednesday of the month, after book club ends, we don’t rush home. We hang out until it’s dark, laughing and chatting. But unlike when we were kids, we now sit by the Hudson River, reviewing the lectures we heard that day, as if we’re applying them to our lives—lives glowing like the setting sun.

Once my kids got older and more independent, I found myself feeling a little lost, like something was missing. I had spent so many years working hard just to survive in this foreign country. Then, finally able to take a breath, I looked at myself—and honestly, I was a bit shocked at how much purity I had lost. I felt it was time to "update" myself. I started looking around for something more, and last July, a friend invited me to join the book club. I went with no expectations. But after the very first lecture, I thought:

"How could they have been doing this amazing book club without me all these years? Who’s going to pay me back for the past three years of missed books and lectures?"
I felt strangely betrayed—though I didn’t even know who to blame.

This past July, a year later, I found myself flipping through an English dictionary while reading The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. The lecture wasn’t exactly as I remember it word for word, but the teacher talked about four stages of life:

1. Stage One is when we chase money just to cover our basic needs—food, clothing, shelter.

2. Stage Two is when we begin to explore our inner, spiritual world.

3. Stage Three is when we begin to influence others and guide their lives.

4. Stage Four—often dismissed at our age—is about understanding science in a new way. Our teacher explained that there are substances that exist between organic and inorganic matter. We can’t see them yet, but scientists are working to prove their existence.

Maybe we’re not at Stage Three yet, but we told each other,
"You’re still at Stage One. Step it up!"
and laughed together as we reviewed the lecture.

Our teacher shares everything she knows with such deep passion—it gives me goosebumps. I feel awakened to a world I never knew existed. That joy spreads to my husband, my kids, and my friends. Every month, I get excited knowing I’ll soon get to discover a new world again. With such an amazing teacher by our side, we are truly lucky people.