The Goddess Speaks
The Goddess Speaks
ON a gorgeous Sunday morning I decided to put on my running shoes and jog around the block. Behind my house, there's a small park that has an approachable jogging route. I love this little route. Jogging path yields
lesson in kindnessUnfortunately, I'm not the only one.
Many Chinese women like to carry their little umbrellas and walk this path. However, they walk this path together -- side by side. This leaves no room for joggers like me.
It had rained the previous night and there was no way I was going to go off the path into the grass and get my new Nike shoes muddy, at least not for these inconsiderate women who take up all the space.
During past jogs, I said, "Excuse me," as I forced my way past them. I haven't been as nice since then. As I lap them, I sigh a big "Ugh" and quickly leap between two old ladies.
Of course, I regret being mean, but when you're jogging and someone is constantly in your way, the endorphins your body is supposed to be producing go off into La La Land.
Soon after, the old ladies got the drift and aligned themselves in a single file each time they heard me racing up behind them. Whenever I passed them, they no longer talked and laughed. I didn't know if they were talking about me, but I didn't care. What mattered to me was the fact that I got them out of my way.
It was either my seventh or eighth lap around the path that Sunday when one of the ladies shouted, "Wait, yeah!"
I slowed down and turned around. In a way, I was afraid I would get one of those, "Kids these days are so rude. You should know how to respect your elders!" speech. But why should I care? They were no relatives of mine!
When I came to a complete stop and the lady who told me to wait caught up with me, she took out her umbrella and slid it down my arm. She had chased a humongous moth, as big as my hand, off my sleeve.
Ashamed, I quickly thanked her and ran off. If I see her again, I'd like to tell her a truly sincere "thank you." Despite my surly and cocky attitude, one of the ladies took the time to chase off a moth that was on my sleeve.
However, what will stay in my memory till the end of time, will be the fact that she opened her umbrella before she chased off the moth in order to prevent it from flying toward me. If she had just slid the unopened umbrella down my sleeve, the moth could have flown in any direction. The moth could have flown toward my face. But she was considerate enough to take the time to not only tell me to wait, but to open her umbrella to assure my safety. I never got a chance to see this lady again.
But when I go jogging, you can believe me when I say my shoes get muddy from time to time. I realized that sometimes, the best things in life are free. Now, whenever there's a rainy day, I look at my umbrella and ... SMILE.
Chu Hyung Lee is a student of architecture
and speech at the University of Hawaii.
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