Miboul – Mind, Body and Soul

Today was very hectic. The weather was gloomy, my kids were being very rude in the classroom and my workout was not as solid as I liked it to be.

I walked into my gym and approached the counter. The lady tried her hardest to speak english. It came out broken. My mind was set to “Just gimme the key and get out of my face” mode. I was carrying a dark cloud in my mind. I looked up and was confronted by the warmest smile.

Even though she could not speak english, she tried her hardest to communicate with me. On the other hand, I just wanted to get away. So I stopped, took a deep breath and forced the largest smile I could. I held it for 2 seconds. As the smile went larger, my dark clouds started to dissipate.

I felt really good to give that huge smile.

Give a warm smile to a random stranger

I have a to do list of about a 1000 things. I always tell myself “I will finish them when I get home”.

As soon as I get home, I eat dinner and crash. The digestion of the dinner gets me every time. I crawl to the gym which compounds the laziness. By the time I come back, I am in no mood to work. I become a human zombie. Put on some tv and let my brain fry.

The list does not stop growing. It becomes a huge suitcase that I carry around in my mind.

So here is what I did. I left home. Home was a relaxing environment. I went to my local coffee shop, made a list and started working.

Simple as that. Remove yourself from a passive environment to make solid changes.

We have P.E. activity day at school. There were races, tug of war and numerous activities in which all my class children went wild.

The last activity consisted of grouping up with your Mom or Dad and having a dance contest. The speaker requested that all children with a parent please stand up. I turned around to see all my students stand up and cup their parents hand. 3 boys in my class room were seated. “Where are your parents” I asked.  ”Not here” they replied.

A very distant image came to mind. The image of my past in my High School when my parents never showed up. I remember the emptiness I had felt. Quickly I raised my hand and said “I am your father” and the kids leaped from the ground and grabbed my hand.

It was a very humbling experience. I hope it made their day better.

The title sounds a bit odd, but the story is not.

Teaching in Korea has brought some amazing experiences for me. Recently, one of the locals that takes the bus with me has made an effort to become my friend. His english speaking level is very poor but he is trying very hard.

We have only met once and we went out for dinner. It was a very delightful experience because I got to learn a lot more about Korea. I also met his wife and younger son.

This dinner came at a time when I felt extremely home sick. I am thankful for this dinner because it helped me realize how a random stranger can change your day.

As I was walking the cold streets of Jincheon, I heard a young boy yell “Hello Teacher”.

I turned around to find a young boy sticking his head out the window and eating all the air that was blowing past his head.

Ah the freedom. To let the wind illuminate your ear drums with the gush of the air and let your hair dance.

Sometimes I get tunnel vision and loose awareness of my life. I always go onto my itunes and listen to this disney classic. It helps me detach myself from my ego and look at everything from a birds perspective or Heaven’s eye. Pun intended

Employers are great. Well, your boss or your manager. It depends on your relationship. I have had the great pleasure of always being in an honest relationship with them. Relationships whereby we go beyond the boundaries of office life into real life. Understanding them as a human being and not an obstacle. In turn honesty goes a long way in developing a better career in which your boss/manager will do what they can in their power to help you.

Sadly, today I quit. Not because I did not like my job but I wanted to take my life in a different direction. Towards something completely different and adventurous. It was very difficult to tell my boss, but through a lot of courage I managed. He was sad, but we are going to celebrate this new direction over beer.  Nothing better than beer.

I have a deck of cue cards on which I have written different affirmations. Couple of years ago, I used to read one every morning.

I found the deck yesterday. I opened it this morning and read out loud:

I can Handle Anything

I have not challenged my mind as of late. After university I have succumbed to working and right after work I play video games to relax. In this exercise my brain has lapsed its analytical thinking. To combat this, I have started to partake in mind challenging activities; Chess, Sudoko and solving Jig- Saw puzzles. Playing these games is more fun than watching TV or playing video games.

Bad habits are difficult to break. They creep up like a disease and stick around. Lost in the habit, one looses perspective. The essence of the habit is to seek something. Maybe momentary pleasure, maybe distraction from the real issue.

For me, it is smoking. A habit I had once gotten rid of has come alive in the last couple of months. There is no reason or justification for it. I started with one, two and then started buying packs. Before I knew it, I was taking numerous breaks at work just so I could smoke. Smoking gave me an escape. Escape from the pressures of work and allow me to just take a breather. However, the breather literary killing me.

The result of smoking impacted my gym life AKA cardio (no brainer there)!. During this time, a co-worker offered me a smoke. My eyes locked on the butt sticking out of the pack, I inhaled deeply and said “No”. Upon saying No, I felt a sense of strength. My inner strength and confidence was awakening from its slumber I assume.