My ex-colleague @theoakplanters let me read her self-published book “Zen Musings from a Fly on the Wall” in exchange for an honest review. Yay!

Reading her book reminds me of something I see occasionally in Japan: 心净, which refers to having a pure heart. If this sentence makes you cringe, then you’re probably not her targeted audience.

But since I relate to her musings, let me explain why reading her book is akin to a cleansing of my heart as her tribe mate. Her meditative mind can be seen in the way she goes at length to describe how trees and wind have had a restorative effect on her - the very stuff of life that we neglect in our perpetual rush.

She has a knack of harnessing contemplative insights from disparate avenues and events - through her wide reading, her experience working with underprivileged students, her travels, and her community service pursuits. This could be a boon or a bane for you, depending on how systematic you like your reading to me. To me, I thought she possesses a hunter’s mentality. Precisely because she has been inspired by the wise words she has read, she naturally applies her takeaways - quite breathlessly at times - in various aspects of her life. If her mind hasn’t been ‘switched on’, she wouldn’t have been able to curate her experiences and categorised them into neat meaningful themes.

Some themes include having the courage to go slow, noticing the magic in everyday moments, feeling free amidst restrictions, among others. If these themes pique your curiosity, then I suggest you check out her book. Personally, I found it interesting how we have come to similar conclusions about life. Like her, I’m intrigued by bamboo (but read her to find out the unique relationship the Hakkas have with bamboo), and have come to realise how one is liberated because he is restrained. In fact, I have a quote to substantiate this insight: Anne Fadiman discussed “the paradoxically liberating power of restrictions”.

In fact, Wei Teng reminds me of my favourite author, Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen also likes to make references to renowned thinkers of the past, so if you devoured her “Happiness Project” books, you should like this book as well.