This photo has nothing to do with what I’m writing about today, it’s just one of my favorite vendor displays in our local market. Too pretty to disturb, really, although I know they are far too pragmatic for that.
There are the barest hints that spring is coming. A few blue sky days. The morning walk to the bus stop is no longer dark. Winter here reminds me very much of my Midwestern home in that the winter days are very gray, and bitterly cold… but Korean winters have a surprising lack of snow.
The spring is forecasted to come early here, and we have already had our first brush with Yellow Dust. Clean air is something I most definitely took for granted in the United States, and I’m thankful that so far my children don’t seem to be sensitive to it. After the latest episode, I did stock up on masks. From what I’ve read, the jury is out on whether they actually do any filtering of the air, but it might make me feel like I’m doing something about it when we have to go out and the levels are high. It seems like a long time ago that we were able to be out and about, I am ready for the warmer temperatures even if that means a few dust storms along with it.
Our beloved old lab crossed the rainbow bridge recently. He had been in poor health, and we left him in the excellent care of my mom and stepdad when we left the United States. His loss, even from a distance, brought back a lot of homesickness for me and the big girl. Lately I have been struck by the (somewhat obvious) realization that even though we will return to the States someday and it is tempting at times to long for that… we will not be walking back into our life just as we left it. My children will be older, beloved pets have come and gone, and as much as we’d like to, we will not be returning to the same town. I’ve been mourning that a little bit. The positive side is recognizing that my life here and now is where my focus needs to be. I think I have been caught too much in missing the past and worrying about the future. One of my favorite quotes is this one, and to leave you with a laugh I want to you remember how the old tortoise said it in Kung Fu Panda (yes, the cartoon. I can’t help myself):
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.
Bulgogi For Breakfast 