I need to escape,
to rediscover how to be with myself again...
From Taipei to Changbin,
living in the most beautiful scenery,
becoming the person I want to be...
Music social worker Lai Yi-ting delves into her own life trajectory, writing for the you she doesn't want to forget
"My self" has never been flat, singular, or absolute.
It cannot be categorized by profession or role.
It is precisely because of the patchwork of various life experiences that it is so rich and organic.
Xiao Lai is an independent singer, an alternative music social worker, a playback theatre practitioner, and also a daughter, wife, and mother. She has published books and released albums, using her own way to speak for minorities. In 2018, she left Taipei and moved to Changbin, Taitung, living with her husband in a house overlooking the sea.
She still carries her guitar, continuing to care for people and animals on the fringes of society; she runs a coffee shop and a bookstore with her husband, settling down on the east coast; she gave birth to her daughter through "home birth." However, experiencing major life stages such as moving, opening a business, giving birth, and raising a child, the changes along the way made her ask herself, "What happened to me?" She stumbled through learning, overcoming challenges, and trying to find the "I am still me" self amidst the changes.
This is a story that begins with a desire to escape, a seven-year turning point on the east coast that allowed Xiao Lai to see herself anew. Through writing, she unearths those sparkling moments carried away by time, understands the love and nourishment she has received, and continues to live uniquely. It is hoped that through this book, readers can find a path to "remembering themselves," tracing back through their own lives to understand their unique selves.
Recommended by
Huang Shih-chun (Haku), Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Subconscious Practitioner
Special Recommendation
Wen Kuo-shih, Founder of Taiwan Transformation Association
Fang Yu, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Tunghai University
Wang Tseng-yung, Professor, Graduate Institute of Social Work, National Chengchi University
Hou Chi-jan, Documentary Director
Kao Yao-wei, Owner of Shuzhou Bookstore
Chang Hui-chun, Writer, Board Member of Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation
Huang Chin-tun, Narrative Therapy Training Lecturer, Supervisor, Writer
Yang Li-chou, Documentary Director
Yang Hua-mei, Hualien County Councilor
Liu Chung-feng, Writer, Body Development Instructor
Tsai Pei-yuan, Author of "I Am Just a Fat Person"
Hsieh Chih-mou, Retired Professor, National Taiwan Normal University
Touching Recommendations
Reading Xiao Lai's book, between the vast ocean and a sea of tears, I hear a woman's song and feel the gentle breeze of a social worker. ──Fang Yu, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Tunghai University
In the story, we see ourselves and summon others! In the resonance of musical notes, she embraces the wounds that come before her! This book records her spiritual imprints on the east coast. It turns out that social work can transcend rationality and return to spirituality! I see the smile of Wang Xing in heaven! ──Wang Tseng-yung, Professor, Graduate Institute of Social Work, National Chengchi University
Xiao Lai's songs and words express the word "freedom" so profoundly. True freedom is never easy; it requires repeated self-questioning and honesty, built with difficulty.
This book records Xiao Lai's journey of pursuit and also the free and brave people who drift between the mountains and seas of the east. ──Hou Chi-jan, Documentary Director
In my memory, Xiao Lai is always singing. Inside and outside the bookstore, in coffee shop living rooms, by the campfire. Singing to someone with closed eyes across a small table, singing to the baby in her belly, singing to people whose eyes have lost their light. Many times, I happened to be nearby, watching and listening.
This time, she uses words to transform her life's adventures and reflections, as well as what she sings and feels, into a book. You will still hear songs within it, and be healed by them. ──Kao Yao-wei, Owner of Shuzhou Bookstore
Following the flow of life, Xiao Lai, guided by music and the mountains and sea, embarks on a journey of inquiry, including self and others, humans and environment, the ups and downs of life, questioning, reflection, and challenge, allowing things to be presented "as they are," and leading readers to find their initial感动. ──Chang Hui-chun, Writer, Board Member of Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation
Living a down-to-earth life, immersing herself completely, and then writing words and singing songs from there. Xiao Lai's way of creating is very romantic and extremely infectious. ──Huang Chin-tun, Narrative Therapy Training Lecturer, Supervisor, Writer
How can a woman be both a mother and still be whole? Doing music creation, running playback theatre, continuing women's full moon circles, insisting on connecting with social work, and also opening a coffee shop? Xiao Lai recounts her life's landscape, her role as a mother making her gentler and stronger, sharing these continuously nurturing experiences. We also witness, through reading, the spiritual essence of contemporary Taiwanese women. ──Liu Chung-feng, Writer, Body Development Instructor
