I wrote this book as a gift for Yang Ruochen’s second birthday, and as a way to look back on and sum up my two years as a mother and full-time caregiver. Many moments in life call for us to look back, learn from our gains and losses, find inspiration, make changes, and give ourselves another chance to choose who we want to be on the journey ahead.
In 2020, the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 upended the lives of most people. At the time, I was tutoring elementary school students after class at a learning center. The pandemic hit hard, and the students couldn’t return to school as usual for a long time. My own plan to go back to work after the Spring Festival was postponed indefinitely.
Feeling a little anxious, I started going for night runs around our residential complex.
I vaguely remember jogging for several nights while listening to music, or practicing spoken English, and how my state of mind changed during that time. I can also dimly recall the topics my husband and I sometimes talked about when he joined me for a walk. It was during those moments that a tiny new life took up residence inside me.
And so, I began a life very different from the one I had known.
