Escape

Recently I discovered an amazing YouTube personality: Li Ziqi, a young Chinese woman who has filmed the most incredible videos of her life in rural China.  She's not only beautifully elegant to watch, but there's nothing she can't do.  Literally.  I've watched her make the most mouth-watering food, often made in a giant wood-fired wok.  In fact, most of her cooking is either done in the wok or in various pots and clay ovens, all with fire.  She grows all her own food, raises her own chickens and geese for meat and eggs, builds bamboo fences, makes furniture and clothes, and grows fabulous gardens overflowing with food and flowers. In one episode she went out to gather mushrooms, then made her own leaf basket to carry them home!  

The background music is soothing, relaxing and makes you just melt into watching her work and cook and garden.  She takes care of her ancient granny and often cooks for some of the elderly people nearby, taking them lovely baskets of food.  She's honestly the hardest working woman I've ever seen. 

The scenery is also a star.  The mountains, the misty bamboo forests, the mossy hillsides, the flowers...and her fat little puppies who follow her everywhere.

If you want to escape into another, more peaceful world or just take your mind off the global chaos, spend some time with Li Ziqi.  It's almost better than meditation and after watching two or three videos--usually with my lunch--I always come away feeling calmer, more chilled...and wishing I could be so accomplished and self-sufficient.

So, stop for a few moments now and escape with me to a time and place that seems almost mystical.  May you become just as mesmerized as I am...