The protagonist of the story, Patterson, is a bus driver in Patterson, New Jersey, USA, who loves to write poetry with melancholy attributes. Unlike Laura, his fanciful girlfriend, Patterson likes a life full of order: he wakes up on time every day, wakes up his girlfriend, and goes to work. Before going to work, he would sit on the bus and write poems, interrupted by a colleague's whining. After get off work, he would write poems on the way and straighten the letterbox that had been crooked by the dog before entering the house. After dinner, he goes out for a walk with the dog, then goes to a bar for a drink before coming home. He likes this kind of life that is almost constant and full of order.
However, the shift begins on a seemingly ordinary Friday morning, disrupting Patterson's once orderly life. He woke up late in the morning, and the car he was driving at work broke down, delaying his return home. Because the kitchen was a mess, he and his girlfriend ordered takeout for the first time ever. In the bar at night, a man got emotional because of emotional problems and pulled out a gun.
On Saturday, Patterson's little black book was bitten to pieces by the family's mischievous dog. What's even more unfortunate is that he hasn't had time to back up that collection of poems, and his long-term efforts have been ruined.
On Sunday, the male protagonist went to see his favorite waterfall again, and his expression was extremely lonely. By the waterfall, he met an uncle from Japan who also loves to write poetry. The uncle seemed to have insight into the sadness of the male protagonist, and gave him an empty notebook with a golden pattern. The uncle told the male protagonist that it is not sad to have a blank page, and the blank represents infinite possibilities. The "Ah-ha" that the Japanese uncle said at the end of his parting can also be interpreted as wanting the male protagonist to wake up*, not to be sad for some reason, and to start writing again.
Maybe in our daily life sometimes there are some bad things that break the order, we should not fall into negative emotions and can't let go for a long time. When something cannot be undone, we should try to start over. Perhaps at a certain point in our lives, we will suddenly understand why God has arranged for us all those troubles.
* Ah-ha moment generally refers to the moment of sudden realization.
**There are more movie/TV series recommendations on my Weibo (aka Maruko who loves to read), everyone is welcome to pay attention!
https://weibo.com/u/3179898575
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