Blog Post #9: Steamed Buns and Nothing

Spring break is meant for a few things. Eating hua juan (花卷) made by my mom, a Chinese steamed bun that is rolled up with green onions and brushed with oil. Going on walks in the woods, through the mud and unmelted ice, soaking up as much fresh air as possible. I loved seeing hints of green starting to peek through the melting snow. Sleeping in until the spirit calls me to move. Watching whatever movie or TV show I’d like- this time it was Run with the Wind, the anime adaptation of the novel of the same name by Shion Miura. 

Drawing closer to the end of my spring break, I did start feeling a little guilty for getting nothing done. “How does every school break seem to pass like this?” I thought to myself. I was sitting in my sister’s room when I saw a tiny sign hanging on the wall. It was small and pink, with dainty writing. The sign read, “if you can’t change something, change the way you think about it”. I decided to listen to the tiny sign. I wasn’t getting my spring break back. Time only moves in one direction. But, maybe I could reframe my mindset to view my time spent doing nothing as time recharging. This little mindset switch worked. When I finally got back to school today, I felt excited to walk to the music building to practice. When I sat down at the piano and started practicing, my Chopin sounded better than I’d remembered it, despite the fact that I hadn’t played it in days. As a piano performance major, perhaps I should’ve spent more time practicing over the break. I touched the piano a few times, just to enjoy hearing my music fill our house. But I’m glad I didn’t do more than that. There is value in doing nothing.