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.