A little Peace

When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.
— Edward Teller

At the end of February I decided to not renew my gym membership. It was expensive, and I was spending my time on the treadmill looking out the window, wishing I could be outside. I also was getting a bit tired of being stared at while sweating profusely.

I find it very amazing how sometimes things just work out the right way. My decision to quit the gym came at the perfect time. I had been experiencing a little slump. I was feeling low and could not pull my emotions up off the ground. I even grouched about quitting the gym and how I was sure this would not be good for my fitness level. But what was waiting for me was so much better.

I replaced my gym workouts with running outside and living room pilates. I had gone for a run in Korea a few times before, and had thought it was ok. But it was a little crowded on the sidewalks with all those people and scooters. So this time around, I decided to head off of the streets.

My first run took me around the back of the Daegu Stadium. The running path goes up on an incline until it is pretty much level with the top of the stadium. When I got to the top, my mood instantly brightened, and I realized that what I had been missing was SPACE! I could see for miles. There were beautiful mountains, smiling people, trees, and a great view of the inside of the stadium. I felt so happy I almost started crying. I still run that path a couple of times a week. Now that the weather is warmer, day care centres are bringing their kids to play on the grass around the stadium. So now, as I run, I have an audience of squealing toddlers. It's adorable.

My second running path is up a mountain. Yup, UP A MOUNTAIN. I have only been running this path for a couple of months, but I love it. This trail kicks my butt. I cannot run the whole way up. I have to stop frequently, and usually walk half of it. I climb over rocks and roots, while breathing so heavily that I think I will inhale all the bugs in the area. But I know the reward is coming.

When I get to the top, the view is amazing. There is a rock I sit on for a while and meditate while listening to nature. It is surely on my top ten best places in Korea, and it is simply a rock on a path most of the way up a mountain. But it is the spot where I feel most peaceful, where I can collect my thoughts and prepare for my day, where I can plan for my future or reflect on the past, and where I remind myself how lucky I am to be where I am. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily stress of work and life. It is so easy to wish time would pass so that I can get to a better day. But the time that I have spent on this rock has reminded me to breathe, and listen, and just be.

And then.....I have to come down off the mountain.

Today when I got to the bottom of my mountain, I saw a group of older ladies chatting. One of them yelled "annyong haseyo". When I replied with the same, they all giggled, just like the kids do. One lady came over and patted my thighs, indicating (in a happy, friendly way) that I am a bit plumpy in their culture. Getting used to that. She also scolded me for not wearing a sun visor...but she was scolding me in Korean so I just shrugged my shoulders and pretended to not understand. Her friend then joined in and told me (again in Korean) that I should be wearing pants to protect my legs from the twigs and branches when I go up a mountain. Again I shrugged my shoulders and replied with "I don't understand", in Korean.

THEN they handed me a pamphlet that had a drawing of a girl feeding a bear on the front. The ladies were Jehovah's Witnesses, and all I could get from the Korean pamphlet was that if you belong to their group, you will be able to feed wild bears by hand. Wow! The ladies patted me on the back, smiling, chattering away in Korean, and then they all laughed a very friendly laugh....although I didn't get the joke. I laughed at their laughing and decided to leave on this positive note. Again I got patted, and I think they would have hugged me and carried me away if I wasn't three times their size.