The storms pass. They always do.

Dear readers, midsummer greetings. Since Shanghai stepped into August, along with heat close to forty degrees we have had Typhoon Bavi and then White Dolphin, wind and rain and thunder arriving all at once. The weather has felt a lot like our own lives, with all their ups and downs.

Some of us have just arrived in Shanghai, opening a fresh chapter, and it is all excitement and new beginnings. Some of us are no longer in the work we love. Some, like me, have entered a long stretch of low spirits, and still love sharing everything about the Shanghai I care for, here, for free, on this blog. And some have found their own professional path in life: up early, out training, full of energy.

When I saw Shanghai’s roads deep in floodwater, then watched the keepers of this city clear it away so quickly, my heart filled with a quiet admiration. Nine times out of ten the world is imperfect. What moves me is the action and the warmth we still pour into looking after this magnetic, messy city we love to live in.

The storms will pass, won’t they? What did your August hold? Write to the blog, and let’s talk it over together.