In the rainy season of summer, I used to dislike it, feeling it was too oppressive and always left people feeling drowsy and sluggish.

Now that I'm over thirty, I've grown increasingly fond of it, thinking that in the height of summer, quietly listening to the rain, sipping tea, daydreaming, and reading in the sound of rain is simply wonderful time.
I'm reading Lin Yutang's *The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo* for the second time.
A close friend gave it to me when I was going through a tough time. There are many books about Su Dongpo, but this is the only one I truly love. Because the Su Dongpo in Lin Yutang's eyes is not the eternal literary giant everyone imagines, but a complete, abundant, flesh-and-blood person.
In fact, by worldly standards, this guy Su Dongpo had a pretty miserable life:
He was extremely talented and hugely famous, but long caught up in factional strife; he could have held high office, but always suffered setbacks because of his personality, political views, writings, and way of handling affairs.
After the Crow Terrace Poetry Incident, his life took a sharp turn for the worse, and he was subsequently exiled to ever more distant places.
Lin Yutang's perspective is that these places of exile actually became the places where Su Dongpo truly fulfilled himself.
You see a person who, when the external world doesn't follow his script, or even collapses completely, can still continue living, continue expressing, continue learning, continue loving, continue loving life, and continue creating systems.
He saw through many things, but never made himself hard, cold, or bitter. He never let suffering destroy his capacity for feeling.
This is extremely difficult, because I've experienced similar moments. I've been through such times, and I've also felt such warmth. At a certain stage, you need to be incredibly strong inside.
Of course, this is the Su Dongpo I like, and maybe what I really like is this version of myself.
So now I often say: Contentment brings happiness, find joy in yourself, and help others to find joy—that's good enough.
What matters is: not dwelling on the past, not fearing the future, not wasting the rest of your life—what you have right now is the best:
Without worry or fear, the mind is free;
Only by savoring the present can you maintain mindfulness.
To be healthy and free from illness—that is a blessed time in this world!
I wrote a passage with a strong old-school vibe.
Thank you for reading this far.