These are heartfelt words for those who, approaching their late 30s, still feel like they're starting from scratch.Nearing the threshold of 40, life feels uncertain and unsteady amidst the chaos of the world. Around you, friends are thriving—some with successful careers, wealth, and status, others with happy families. Life, at its core, seems to revolve around two essentials: love and money. Love is vast and boundless; money, concrete and tangible. But what do I have?In my parents' eyes, I am the most useless and unsuccessful person alive because I have neither.In some aspects, quality matters more than quantity. But for me, at this moment, what do I truly have in hand? Ironically, what I possess seems to lean heavily on quantity rather than quality. Is this what I hoped for? Not at all.What I yearned for was something singular and meaningful. Yet, perhaps unknowingly, I steered myself down a different path—lost and misguided.Looking back on nearly 40 years of life, what do I have? Perhaps the only thing I truly own is my own experiences, which have shaped a unique story that belongs solely to me. By the age of 35, I could have had a relatively stable life, with reasonable income and the ability to provide a comfortable life for my parents. Instead, I chose to turn the page, taking a new and uncertain path. This journey has been filled with challenges, instability, and hardships, leading to both hope and despair.At this age, I’ve worked for numerous companies. The number of men who have crossed my life is nearly half my current age, though only three relationships were significant enough to be named and counted by years. I’ve turned down five marriage proposals, with just one coming from one of those three relationships. Along the way, I’ve gained two lifelong friends. Though I haven’t been fortunate enough to have complete happiness, life has compensated me with moments of joy from scattered pieces.And so, I must express my gratitude—to life, to my parents, to my loved ones. I am thankful for my teachers, sisters, friends, brothers, and even strangers who have come into my life.Now, what should I do with the remaining journey ahead? Should I isolate myself in despair, or continue with optimism, standing resilient amidst the storms of life? I can share my thoughts, but ultimately, only I can truly understand and lift myself up.Life is impermanent—who knows if we’ll still be here tomorrow? This sentiment, often reflected upon nowadays, serves as a reminder to cherish the present moment and the life we have right now. The more I think about this, the more I feel compelled to engage in charitable deeds—not to accumulate virtue for myself, as others often advise, but simply to ease the burden in my heart.I need to spend more time with my family. I need to hone my skills, learn more languages, and love myself more. As for everything else, who knows what the future holds? It’s uncertain, isn’t it? Perhaps that’s just how the next chapter of my life will unfold…

"Oh my, can I ever grow taller? I just want to be a hot girl 😒😒, not a shorty stuck at 1m54 huhu. So, I decided to buy a cute little basketball and plan to practice playing to grow taller...Day One:At 4:30 AM, I dragged myself out of bed despite the freezing weather, bundled up, and got ready to head to the court :p :p. I was so excited, haha, it was my first day!Thump... thump... thump... Wait, it’s not even 5 AM yet @@. Standing on the field below, I could clearly hear the sound of a ball being dribbled on the upper court... but no voices. Oh gosh, it’s creepy... my heart started racing... I told myself to breathe and stay calm. I waited... and the sound of the ball was still there. What on earth... was it a person or a ghost playing for this long 😓😓? How am I supposed to practice if they don’t leave the court? Hic...At 5:15 AM, finally, the “ghost” stopped playing, and I rushed up there :p haha. I started dribbling a little, but then a group of people appeared out of nowhere and took over the entire court. So frustrating... I was too shy to compete for space, so I hugged my ball and went home, thinking, Tomorrow, I’ll wake up earlier than that “ghost” for sure.Day Two:At 4 AM sharp, I arrived at the court, the path still covered in mist. Yet, I could still hear the sound of a ball being dribbled on the court above. What the heck... someone is playing even earlier than me huhu 😭😭. I realized I had no choice but to go up there if I wanted to practice. My determination to grow taller overcame my fear. Here we go...I cautiously scanned the court, trying to figure out if the ball dribbler was a person or a ghost :V. Thank goodness, feet on the ground! It’s a person, yay:3. I was so relieved, haha. Hugging my little basketball, I started dribbling while keeping an eye on the guy to see if he looked scary 🤔🤔. Even though he was Although it was just a person, I was still a small girl all by myself, so I couldn’t help feeling nervous... still shaking a bit. But whatever, forget it! I needed to practice while the court was empty so no one could laugh at me for being so clueless about basketball...I dribbled the ball a few times, then started trying to toss it into the hoop. Every throw missed... so disappointing. Suddenly, I heard footsteps and the sound of a ball bouncing from the other side of the court, heading toward me. Oh no, what’s happening? Why is this guy coming over here? Isn’t the other side big enough? Now I wasn’t scared of ghosts anymore, but of this random guy—what was he up to? Oh gosh, it was way too early for this...As he dribbled toward my side, I quickly dribbled to the other. This game of cat and mouse continued for two or three rounds until he gave up and left first. Haha! I laughed to myself, feeling quite pleased. I managed to get in a decent amount of practice on day two :v :V. That wrapped up another productive day! Day Three:By the third day, I was getting used to it. Having someone playing early on the opposite side of the court now felt reassuring—I wasn’t scared of ghosts anymore, haha. I practiced with enthusiasm... Thump... thump... thump... Oh, he’s moving closer again!I glanced up and thought, Oh, okay, tall, good-looking... and doesn’t have that rough, thug-like face I was worried about, hehe. With a smirk, I said, “Is the other side of the court not big enough? Are you trying to take over this side too?” :33He replied, “No, I just want to...”And that’s how we started talking. As we played, he began teaching me the proper stances and how to shoot the ball into the hoop. It was funny how two strangers could meet so unexpectedly, going from fear to pure excitement together. It was so endearing... :3That day, two strangers became friends. We left the court at the same time and ended up walking down the same road together. We laughed and chatted as we strolled through the chilly highland air. Under the warm glow of the streetlights, we guessed each other’s names, hobbies, and little details about our lives... and discovered, by sheer coincidence, that one lived just up the road from the other. :))))It turned out that the “Basketball Ghost” at 4 AM was actually a sweet, funny, and charming guy—a surprising and serendipitous connection!So, the “Basketball Ghost” at 4 AM turned out to be a sweet, witty, affectionate, and handsome guy :33. He often invited me over to his house to hang out. We’d play around, sing, and laugh like two little kids—well, we were kids back then, hehe, though he was about to head off to university ^^. I truly cherished him, a special and serendipitous friend I was lucky to meet ^_^.Once, when I visited his house, after greeting his parents, he quickly pulled me upstairs and led me straight to the balcony of a charming little wooden house. "I want to show you something," he said, covering my eyes for a moment. When he told me to open them... Wow, it was breathtaking! I looked up to see a sky filled with stars, shimmering and enchanting....