In the spring of 2020, when the cherry and plum trees are in bloom, my wife and I discovered a plum tree grove on the other side of the mountain behind our house. We sat under the canopy and listened to the bee song for over an hour.

While in Hội An, Vietnam, I visited the historic area often. One evening I came across a group singing and playing music. It had something to do with telling fortunes. People would come up and give them money and choose a symbol on the ground. Without skipping a beat, the music would continue as one person after another gave money …