This evening, I talked myself into going for a jog again, even though I had a few things to finish.
Right now, I’m so glad I did — because a stranger gave me an entire bouquet of flowers.
Here’s the story.
When I finished jogging, I took off my AirPods, slowed down, and headed toward my neighborhood. Suddenly, I noticed a man standing by the road with several bouquets of fresh flowers at his feet. He looked a bit awkward. I walked up and asked if he was selling them.
He smiled and said no — he had just left a yacht, and the flowers had been used for an event. Then he asked, “Would you like a bouquet?”
Of course! Why not?
So he gave me a big bouquet and a glass vase. I split the flowers into three vases, as you can see in the photos.
Over 2,200 years ago, Jia Yi, a Han Dynasty philosopher, said: “福往者福来Fú wǎng zhě fú lái” — meaning, “To bless is to be blessed.”
Maybe this bouquet is a blessing in return, because while jogging, I’ve helped quite a few lost people find their way. (If you’re standing on the east bank of the Huangpu River, near Lujiazui, looking confused and helpless, and a Chinese woman comes over to offer help — that might be me.)
I hope the young man receives his blessing soon.