I'm 10,000-days old now.

Are you in a similar situation as I am, that the calendar is just so packed with all kinds of SCRUMs, meetings, project/assignment dues, medical appointments and even movie dates with different girls?

While my daily life is driven by endless calendar alerts, rarely do I realize that how fast time actually flies. Until today, when a regular calendar alert popped up at midnight, saying "I came to the world already 10,000 days", all of a sudden, I screamed "OMG!!!" Yes! Today is Sunday, the 26th of February, 2017, which marks I came to the lovely planet for 27 years, 4 months and 15 days. Or, in other words, 10,000 days already.

Never in my life do I feel so obligated to stop whatever I'm doing at this moment and it's pretty crazy while I'm just thinking about it. I realize 10,000-day is quite a large number indeed! As even for a very positive goal as of Switzerland, the country with the longest male life expectancy of 81.3 years (WHO, 2015), I've already passed 1/3 of my life.

While thinking about what life lessons I've learned from my first 10K days, I quickly came up with a really great and creative idea. Rather than simply writing what I think about up here, I've listed 8 most influential things for my so-far life. I'm taking them together with me for a reflection trip totally out of connections to the outside. After this trip, by the destination, I should be ready to welcome my next 10K days!

I immediately booked an Amtrak ticket from Seattle, WA to Chicago, IL for today. It would be a 46-hour trip across the vast and beautiful American land.

Luggage List for 10K-Day Reflection Trip:

(1) A photo of my parents: This is always the first thing, as I become who I am from them. They are my first teachers and offer me incredible support no matter what happens to me. I find it is such a pleasure to be their child full with happiness for my first 10K days. However, I wish I could think deeper this time for how our relationship would go for the next 10K days, especially when they grow old and need help and when I would have my own small family in an interracial setting.

(2) A pair of slippers from Meng: Meng is the most important ex-girlfriend among all. She was so patient to teach me to deal with various real life issues and to understand what love actually is, helping me grow up from a naïve and emotional boy to really a responsible and independent man. While the past is by no means reversible, the lessons I've learned from her never fade away. This time I need to pick them up and think carefully again about my new relationship.

(3) 4 yearly techo notebooks: I started using techo to keep an account of my life trivia, random thoughts and reading notes for four years in a row after I moved to the USA. I find it extremely helpful to organize my life in additional to the other calendar apps. This reflection trip would be a perfect chance for me to go over all my past years here in Seattle, figuring out how my thoughts go and develop and how I settle down step by step on this American soil from nothing to now.

(4) A book How to Live or A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Backwell: Although this is the book I just started reading, I've already been so engaged in all those interesting Q&As. Since I've already finished more than half of it, I would like to carry it as well to finish up the whole book, but this time without any distraction, I would like to think deeper and relate all those pregnant remarks in the book with my actual life.

(5) A book The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: This is by far my favorite book by my favorite writer in my first 10K days. I still remember how my heart was strongly struck when I read the chapter The Grand Inquisitor for the first time. The book is so important, not for a moral boost when I feel pretty low, but a warning strike when I go too positive. It re-established the perspective how I see human beings and the world. I plan to skim the book again during my trip and really expect new insights I could get from the old context.

(6) 5 packs of Caiyuan Xiaobing: This is a savory snack made by Glico only sold in China for a long time. I was so addicted to this snack for almost 20 years ago. At that time, my family was not rich at all and in a very tight budget for my snacks. So, I really cherished every time I was given one pack of Caiyuan Xiaobing. While most of the crackers were shaped as triangles, there were also a few heart-shaped ones in the pack. Finding the heart-shaped crackers in Caiyuan Xiaobing was my favorite activity during my long boring childhood, and even till now.

(7) A movie Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone: It was a fantastic and very long movie from my mind when I first watched it many years ago. I already forget most part of the movie, but I plan to watch it again this time. Recall something still triggering the emotions and reflect something new from a new perspective.

(8) A streaming album Jazz Suite No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich: Dmitri Shostakovich is my favorite composer. Although most part of the Jazz suite remains a very lively tune, it is only the music which could calm me down as well as inspire me to move on at the same time.

Happy 10,000th to myself!

With all these things above packed in my luggage, I'm setting off to a new chapter of my life.

How to Live or A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Backwell

Originally posted at Haotian's Blog