Meditation Day 14 – 0
Day 23
I write this love letter to new feelings and experiences in familiar places.
To discovering old places, I had forgotten about. Last night, as I come back from 신사동 after battling to turn on the TV, working on my laptop that I brought (good job, you!). On the way back, to get to 90 minutes of exercise, I keep on walking to find Han River. At 87 minutes, tomorrow arrives and I start over. People are walking, jogging, riding bikes, scooters, practicing golf swings and walking their dogs. I had forgotten about the river. I sit down in one of the exercise areas to stretch my legs and check up on Catherine in the USA. It’s 8:08am at Coachella. I tell her, “I’m walking South African hours.”
To meeting new people.
I walk back to the coworking and co-living space to find four people working. It’s uncanny to find people like me. Remote workers working non Korean hours.
“Hi, I’m Martin. What’s your name? I’m Half Cantonese. Half Korean. It’s the worst of both. Koreans are so vain. Cantonese are known for dim sum and finance only.”
“You’re double goodness, not half and half.”
“I’ve never been told that. Maybe it’s too much. I have a big ego”
He works in healthcare start up providing consolidated patient care. Working California hours.
I ask him my favorite question, ‘what have you done lately to make yourself happy?’
“You go first”
“I just walked the han river, that was really cool.”
“I came to the coworking space.”
I excuse myself to start my work. Before wrapping up, a girl across from the desks comes over to introduce herself. “Hi, I am Rina. I just arrived from Japan.”
She exports Japanese crafts overseas. Recently started working for government, a prerequisite to start a curated tourism business.
We exchange Instagram handle, and I tell her she should visit Cape Town.
“Wait, they speak English in South Africa?”
“Yes!”
“Then I will definitely come and visit”
To the first sip I take, my heart jumps with joy. Almond ice latte, strong and smooth. My first café experience, as I sit here, arriving half hour too early before meeting my cousin. Write with words printed on the outside of my umbrella I just bought, onto these pages.
As I look away from the laptop, the barista catches my eye. “Do you need anything?”
“커피 너무 맛있어요! (This coffee tastes so good!)”
“감사합니다” 활짝 웃으며 배꼽인사 해주신다.
To my cousin for his generosity.
I message him: Do you want coffee? Do you want to have lunch before we start? 커피 마실래? 점심 먹을래?
Him: Just come up. 그냥 와.
I’m grateful for my family for making time for me.
I’m grateful for having work that keeps me engaged and accountable to work into the night. To have health stress to keep myself upright.
Another perfect day wrapped in gratitude with sun spilling all over. The practice of finding joy wherever I go, whatever I do is paying off.
