I don't have that many role models when I grew up, exceptions go to a few, one of them was my university lecturer who I insisted with taking 3 courses of his, and another one was Richard, for whom I am deeply inspired by his passion on developing and pursing his hobbies. He writes this blog and based on my own experience I know how much it means to someone if s/he decides writing a blog for years, putting aside that I am recommending his blog, I also feel like having this rush to put my thought about him into words as he inspired me in many ways.
One thing I can't get it off my poor memory slot about him, is one time in our office where he showed me this blog started in year 2008, while pointing his fingers out of that window saying as a , "My real work is not here, is out there," - following his fingers through a typical Beijing haze day and view-blinding resident buildings, my imagination illustrated a wandering Wall somewhere outside Beijing's 6th ring road.
This blog recorded what he is really passionate on rather than a diary of this and that, a world embraced by the Great Wall and his exploring the world.
Before he and his wife, a present locally recognised yoga coach moved in Beijing years ago, they were both lawyers, a modern profession that well connected with good social status and material gains, but that professional doesn't suit them, so they quitted.
They then took the further courage to adventuring the world, in roughly a year time they walked all over the world, before they finally settled down in Beijing China Rich also worked for government back home for a while.
But still they decided starting a new life here, transformed his life from a solicitor to an English teacher and later government employee, Rich started his years-long hobby: measuring the Great Wall with his feet.
The Great Wall found him, and captivated him, he started discovering the Great Wall and most often debris, by hiking miles in mountains over weekends. Combined Google map, GPS, camping equipment and helps of historical books, he started building his own map for Chinese ancient walls - he has built a great skill of drawing maps which was noticed by me one time when he draw to explain the difference between topographic and geographical maps to me.
His great wall hiking played positive side effects to his body, so much that he finished his one-time-off half-marathon in Guiyang without any exercises, lured by the organiser's offering to foreign competitors with free flight tickets and accommodations, and his climbing to Stok Kangri, a mountain with a 6,153 m summit.
He keeps writing and drawing maps with his feet, that one day he told us his book of years' findings is to be published in 2015.
I like the way his pursuing passion with his regular making living, the ability to embrace changes and be dedicated. It's a good example for me to demonstrate how to be oneself without needing to become a recluse, and to live a life without needing of other's judgment or social recognition. It shows one's intuition, as well as courageousness to facing the uncertainty. It is also a better example about the success - a term frequently connect with money and fame - able to live your own life in your own way.
What would his life be if he didn't choose this way? I happened to witness this otherwise story. During one of recent official visit to China, his former good mate who used to do ski together me him - a current high-level official who worked around the clock without taking a break for weeks before this China trip, and expected to be posted somewhere. Looked at the grey hair of his same-age friend, still blond-haired Rich breathed a sigh of relief, "that could have been me."
And here is his blog: http://www.journeysetc.com/
