Time Is a Slippery Fish

Well, I have hit the 10-month mark in Korea and it's about the time you look forward to making it home. I have been thinking a lot about what I miss about Canada lately, and can not help but look to the future. Although I am happy that I have things to look forward to, I catch myself forgetting about the moment and how precious it really is.

Sometimes things come up that remind you of exactly what you need. For example, the other day I came across a story about a boy who could not live in the moment. He was a good boy, but could never be happy where he was. If he was in the classroom, he wanted to be on the playground. If he was on the playground, he wanted to be on summer vacation. And so on. One day he was walking in the woods and decided to take a rest. Shortly after, he fell asleep and when he awoke there was an old woman holding a ball of twine.

The woman said that it was magic twine, and if he was ever unhappy with where he was, he could pull on the string to make time go by much more quickly. The boy thought this was great and pulled on the string whenever he was bored with where he was. He pulled on the string many times until soon he was an old man. Looking back he found that he had missed out on all the things that make life great. He went back to the woods again and made a wish to go back to his childhood, and it was granted.

A simple story, I think, that speaks volumes. I believe that it is the journey that counts. Maybe not a new concept, but one that I need to be reminded of from time to time.