Anyone up for a little existential pop quiz?
I was having trouble getting motivated this morning and bang, two thoughts popped into my head.
“How are you going to engage the universe today?
“What are you going to learn?”
“Not sure yet” I replied
“What do you want to learn?
Please pass this on to anyone that needs a boost.
Reporting from Seoul, South Korea:
Yesterday morning I escorted my wife Pamela, to the taxi stand. “I’m tired,” she said. “I don’t want to go out tonight, lets stay inside and make dinner” After a hectic week of unpacking boxes I agreed.
That afternoon I went for a jog along the Han River and got back at 7:00 pm. The phone rang, it was my wife. At the end of the conversation, she said. ” I am bringing Chaewon home.” “Sounds good” I replied and I hung up the phone: “This is great!” I thought: “Now I don’t have to make dinner”
As I got out of the shower, I could hear someone at the front door. I grabbed a towel and walked to the door to let my wife in. I soon realized that the towel was too small to tie around my waist so I used it as a loincloth. I opened the front door and saw my wife, and next to her was a lady about twenty-five or six. “You remember Chaewon don’t you?” Chaewon gasped and turned her head to avoid staring. I looked back again to recognize her but couldn’t see her face. “You know Chaewon from the office” “Remember, we met for drinks at the hotel” I reached out to shake her hand. “Where are your clothes?” my wife asked. “I just got out of the shower and heard you at the door” I replied. Chaewon looked nervously at Pamela. “Go get dressed and I will pour her a glass of wine.” I could hear them laughing in the kitchen and Pamela poked her head in the doorway: “Did you make dinner” she asked in a hushed voice.
“No”, I whispered back: “you said that you were bringing Chaewon home and thought that you were picking up dinner.” “Don’t tell her what happened, she might get offended” I added. My wife laughed and walked back to the kitchen.”
I sat on the bed for about 15 minutes planning my next move. When I entered the living room they were sitting on the couch drinking and laughing.
“Hello it’s nice to see you again I said cheerfully, holding out my hand. She smiled back: “Its good to see you too” After we finished the wine I said: “Since I haven’t made dinner, we should find a restaurant.” “Yes, I am really hungry” Chaewon added. ”
The next day Pamela recounted the story her Korean colleagues. Chaewon politely smiled and said: “Yes, I thought he was embarrassed, he did not come out of his room for a long time.” “When he finally came out, he greeted me cheerfully and shook my hand like nothing had happened”
Last night we had dinner with Chaewon and I asked her:
“What do Koreans say when they receive good news?”
She looked at me, perplexed, “what do you mean?” she said.
“What do Koreans say when something wonderful happens?” I replied.
‘Like what?” she asked.
“Like suppose you won the lottery, bowled a perfect game and got accepted to medical school all in the same afternoon?
“What would you yell out?”
I could see hear searching for a word in her mind
“We don’t have a word for that” she finally replied.
What do you mean?!” I exclaimed 😉
“Americans have dozens of words they yell out when something great happens.
“AWESOME!”, “EXCELLENT!”, “PERFECT!”, “SWEET!” or “FKING Aaaaa!!…”NO WAY!!!”… REALLY!!!?”
She had nothing.
“We don’t have a word for that”, she said.
I couldn’t believe it, so I kept asking.
“Let’s say you’re at your college graduation and your best friend is getting her diploma, do you yell?”
“Right on Alice!” or ” You doth rock!!!” how about “Fantastic!”…….Anything like that?” I said.
I could see the wheels turning once again.
“No, not really,” she said, “maybe “Ne” (pronounced “Nay”)
“Oh, you mean “yes?” I replied. “OK, that’s a good start, ”
“Do you yell out “NAY!!” when something great happens?”
“No just Nay,” she said.
Satori Wind 