Setbacks

Enjoy my own setback in Jiau Xi cold springs, Taiwan


If you do base your life on how many touchdowns you score, how many championships you win, then when you have a setback, then when you have an injury, you're not playing, or something goes wrong, your self-worth goes down

Tim Tebow

I had not been to Jiau Xi, Taiwan, for a long stretch of time until Minister Wang invited me to join their hot spring outings last month. It was September, hard for me to believe that people actually doing hot spring spa all year round! I had once been there a couple times either for book projects or periodical coverage. I also had been to numerous Japan's Onsens (Japanese term for hot springs) way since 1992.

I would not have done things like this before. I could not take the heat of hot spring, not even the steam of it. Not to mention the late summer heat here in Taiwan at the moment. I had been loath to dip in any of it, anyway. But I decided to go with them to check things out this time for a) wanting to get out of town, b) its health benefits to boost my mood and circulation, c) revisiting this small township after all those years, d) trying to see if I could enjoy it differently, e) the first visit not on the business, and, most importantly f) soothing my frayed nerves during the hardship.

I knew most of the definitions of setback are negative, but only one is neutral. It is An unanticipated or sudden check in progress. And I happened to buy into that one instead of leaning toward society's notion. I see every setback as a lesson, also a half-time to reflect and double check, to be applied in my next move toward the future.

Apparently, setbacks, I see it as recharging processes, often can unfailingly help resolve outstanding issues and ultimately lead to a better way out.

for more pictures of pictures below,

Jiau Xi Cold Springs


for related articles below,

Northern Most Japan 

Japanese Influence in Taiwan

Hot Springs