CHAPTER 44

Original: 2006-08-31

Rewritten: 2026-01-08

Lun is by nature laid-back, and now he can spend time at leisure in the large backyard of his group home.

He is not very active, yet he greatly enjoys passing time outdoors. Ever since moving into a single house group home, he has often spent his time in the backyard.

Our own home is a second-floor apartment without a backyard, only a balcony. We were afraid that if he played on the balcony and leaned out to look around, he might accidentally fall, so we never placed desks or similar items there to prevent him from climbing and falling. Whenever he stepped onto the balcony, we would call him back inside. So how did we know that he liked backyards?

We observed that when he stayed at his grandparents’ single house, he always liked eating instant noodles on the balcony outside the second-floor living room. No matter the season—whether it was raining or a cool breeze was blowing—he insisted on eating outside. At times this made his grandfather quite upset, because Lun would wear at most two layers of clothing, even in cold weather, and his grandparents worried he might catch a chill.

Back then, I often fantasized about having a backyard of our own: building a large gazebo with tables and chairs, placing a big swing or a large rocking chair beside it, and adding an icebox. Lun could then spend the whole day there. That dream has now been partially realized.

It was not that our home suddenly gained a backyard, but that one of Lun’s caregivers has a large backyard at her own home. She lives in Maple Ridge, where her single house occupies twice the land area of a typical Vancouver home. The backyard is exceptionally large and well equipped. The big deck has a roof for shelter from wind and rain, and there is a large rocking chair in which Lun often sits quietly.

There is also a large trampoline in the yard. Knowing that Lun loves playing with water, the caregiver installed a sprinkler beneath the trampoline that sprays upward. Lun sits on it, enjoying the coolness in summer. A year later, the caregiver added a large standing pool. Whenever we entrusted Lun to her care during the summer holidays, we would always bring swim trunks and a large towel. Lun would soak in the pool; to him, the caregiver’s home was simply a paradise for picnics and camping.

It was also in this caregiver’s home that Lun learned to reduce his fear of animals. She keeps two large dogs. I had told her in advance that Lun was afraid of dogs, so whenever Lun stayed there, she would keep the dogs locked in the garage, allowing them to get used to his scent until they no longer barked at him through the wall.

Before long, Lun became accustomed to seeing them. Lun would be on the trampoline while the two dogs stayed on the backyard lawn, each minding their own business. Gradually, the dogs would rest in the dining room while Lun ate dinner in the same place, all in peace. Eventually, they could all share the same room as a matter of course.

I even witnessed Lun sitting calmly in the back seat of the caregiver’s sedan with a big trunk, with the dogs further back in the cargo area, separated by a wire barrier, without any distress. From then on, whenever Lun sees other dogs, as long as there is sufficient distance between them and the dogs are on leashes, he feels at ease and no longer screams or runs away.

The group home where Lun now lives also has a large backyard. Although it lacks a big pool and large rocking chairs, and the facilities are rather old and in need of replacement, he can now spend long periods there, carefree and at ease.

(Postscript: Over the past nearly twenty years, in addition to picnic tables and chairs, facilities have been continually added and upgraded, including rebuilding the wooden fence, laying paving stones, installing a large canvas gazebo, covered rocking chairs, and an outdoor daybed. In the late summers of the past two years, large pumpkins were also planted.)