My Never Withering Carnation at Yale

They said it is summer now. They said it is being hot. But look at the miracle inside my room. The carnation I bought 10 days ago is still blossoming, fresh as a morning dew drop.

That day after dinner we walked back to our Calhoun room. On our way there was some black woman sitting by the roadside, selling carnations. "One dollar for each. For food," the woman said calmly. She didn't cast an eye on us passers-by, as if she knew that not many people would be interested in buying.

I had walked several paces forward before she finished the utterance. "Food" was the one word that hit me right on my heart.

I walked back to her and fumbled in my backpack. One dollar. I handed it her. "Thank you," she looked up to me as she was sitting on a stool or something. I didn't look at her closely; I was back only to fulfill my sense of responsibility.

I picked out my Carnation flower, walked back to my dormitory room, and put it in the mineral water bottle I got the other day. I don't remember the exact date upon which I bought the flower, but it must be Monday or Tuesday last week. For I still remember clearly how astonishing I was at the weekend when I noticed the water in the bottle was still clean and pure after three or four days!

It is rarely the case, you know, back in my country, to keep a flower in a bottle without changing the water for four or five days in summer. Usually we need to change the water everyday. Otherwise, the water gets foul and the stem of the flower rotten.

But ten days have passed and my Carnation remains fresh. No rotten stem. No foul water. I didn't change the water at all! How amazing it is!

The only explanation I came up with is that we enjoy high quality air and water here at Yale. The purer the water is, the more difficult for it to become foul.

It reminds me of another point. I don't have to wipe off the dust on my table, as there isn't any! I have been here for five weeks, yet I didn't find it necessary to dust my table! My shoes got dirty only because I did Energy Bagua walking meditation under the trees after a night rain.

Yale University is an amazing place to stay for its pure air and pure water. And I have been told that we don't have to worry about the safety of food as the American Food Authorities crack down upon those unqualified food suppliers. Even when I am on the Flushing street, where most residents are Chinese, I hear people talking proudly about the food quality. "You don't have to worry about it. Not the same as back in our country. This is one of the most important reasons why we come and stay here. Food safety is guaranteed."

What else could I say? I only know my Carnation is still astonishingly blossoming after ten days or so in sweltering summer, without a change of the water!