The Gist: Patty Chang Anker was raised by
Chinese immigrants whose favorite phrase was xiao xin or "be careful, small heart." Now 40, with two adopted girls of her own, Anker felt as if, "given my
nervous nature, my bookish upbringing, my midlife responsibilities, and
boundless propensity for tripping and falling and hurting myself, my comfort
zone was less a zone and more a skittish zigzag from car to coffee shop to
supermarket to office to sofa to fridge to bed, where I lay awake
worrying." She decides to challenge herself; first, by learning how to
dive off a diving board—then, she pushes herself to tackle the rest of
her fears, from throwing away clutter to riding a bicycle. Does she conquer
them all? No. But she does confront them—and motivates her friends in
the process, including the one who is afraid of driving. Reading her challenges
is downright inspiring—once you get past her standing on a
ledge.
Surfing Revelation We All Need to Have: "In the space between waves,
we have choices. To jump, to dive, to ride, to play. To face what's coming without running
away."
Advice from a Chinese Mother That We All Need to Follow:
"If you dream of falling, you're growing."
