The following story is a retelling of an incredible experience I had early one morning at an Orphanage in Thailand. Enjoy!
Standing in the middle of the street under a moonless night sky, I cup my hands together and blow into them for warmth. Right now its cold, but in a matter of just a few hours all that will change as the sun rises and unleashes its harsh, tropical heat. It can be so uncomfortably hot here during the day, so for now, I am thankful for the chill. Releasing a monstrous yawn, I drop to the ground and begin stretching. I literally had to force myself out of bed this morning; I didn’t really want to get up this early. For days now I have set my alarm, ultimately sleeping through it, telling myself I was going to do it. This is the morning; I am determined to go for a run.
Other than the twinkle of starlight, it is very dark. The only real source of light comes from an overhead street lamp, projecting a dull yellow glow upon the pavement around me. Down the road in both directions I can make out the faint outline of neighboring homes bordering the road. Far behind me I can still hear the fading sound of dogs barking, alarmed by my presence. I had to quickly walk down to the street in order to get away from them in fear of waking the entire village. After holding each stretch for 15 seconds, I take deep breaths to expand my lungs, taking notice of the sweet scent of a nearby rice field. Other than the restless dogs, all else is still.
Suddenly, subtle movement behind the bushes from the house directly across the street catches my attention. Sitting as still as possible, I squint my eyes to get a better look, but it’s too dark, and the object is too difficult to make out. My initial thought was that it was just another neighborhood dog, perhaps trying to get a better look at me. Straining my eyes even more to make sense of this thing, it suddenly hits me that this thing is no dog, but a person! Wide-eyed and completely silent, I’m stunned. The person peeking from behind the bushes remains still. I wasn’t sure, but I had an intuitive feeling that this person wasn’t exactly sure what I was, or what someone could be doing sitting in the middle of the street at such an early hour of the day. Equally caught off guard and unsure of how to react to the situation, we both hold our ground waiting for the other to make a move. Finally I decide it would only make things worse if I didn’t say anything. In the friendliest voice possible, I muster out a cheerful “hello!” To my great relief, my greeting is returned. Out from behind the bushes approaches an elderly lady, carefully stepping onto the pavement. She has a friendly smile on her face, but her expression tells me she is still confused as to why I am sitting in the street in the dark. Using what little of her language I know, I manage to tell her my name, and then ask for hers. Her name is La.
Jumping back to my feet, I begin to jog in place. I stick out my tongue while pretending to be exhausted as my pace slows and my arms drop to my sides. La’s expression of confusion breaks into a delightfully warm smile, and together we chuckle lightly. Then it occurs to me, jogging probably isn’t very common around here, especially not at this time of day. Releasing a sigh of self-satisfaction, I plop back onto the ground and resume my stretching, with La looking onward with fascination. Then out of the corner of my eye, I notice La slightly bouncing forward attempting to reach for her toes, as if she is trying to stretch with me. Standing up right again, she then places her hands on her lower back, still smiling, as if to indicate that her elderly body wouldn’t allow such movement.
When I finished stretching, it came time to say goodbye to my new friend. Unfortunately, we speak two very different languages. There is no way I can tell her how much I truly admire her for her amazing attitude, and curiosity. I only wish I could tell her how happy I am to have met her and to have had this experience. I feel fortunate to have found the determination to get out of bed this morning at such an unreasonable hour. For lack of better words, a simple “thank you,” would have to be enough. Turning my attention to the sky, I notice the stars have all disappeared. With sunrise quickly approaching, I say goodbye, breathing warm air into my cupped hands one last time. The day full of possibility is just beginning.
– Seize the day.