Thursday, July 31, 2008

Drinking Tea with a Stranger on the Street


A few days ago in the sweltering heat of the Korean Summer one shared tea with an old lady. One was traveling with two half iced bottles of sencha draped around ones waist. The cool emitting from the bottles caused condensation that imitated ones perspiring body.

As one reached the top of a low rolling mountain that was much more a hill than a mountain, one came across an old weathered lady. Her skin leathery, her teeth missing, dressed in commoners hanbok her smile radiated outward.

She is a lady that looked like she lived a thousand lives in just this one. She is a lady that one has seen before.

Her smile caught me and she implored me to sit down in the shade of her front porch where she enjoyed the clear blue sky, the flowers, and the light breeze.

One sat down beside her, handed her a small paper cup, unscrewed the lid of the bottle and then poured the freshly melted tea into her cup and then into my cup. We spoke simply to each other, enjoying the fluffy clouds and clear sky, and the sound of a chirping cicada in the trees. We shared refreshing tea in this way for only a minute or two before continuing on my way.

Peace

2 comments:

Wes Crosswhite said...

As one reads your post, one is taken to a serene place. While one is hot and sweating, one is comforted by one's surroundings. Onederful.

Matt said...

Thanks Wes,

One sees that you are getting down with the oneness.

Peace