What are you doing?

My buddies in Korea and I had a really fun day set up. We were driving to the Han River Park from our Yongsan Army Garrison. It was a casual Sunday outing. Now when I give directions, I am assuming that you know my thoughts and can read my mind...which would explain why I get so frustrated giving driving directions. So, I told my friend Stephanie to "follow that taxi onto that exit ramp." Stupid. Really stupid.

In a city called Seoul, there were 13 million citizens in 1995. For every citizen, it seems like there are three taxis; three black taxis. You picking up what I'm laying down? I jumped off the seat when Steph followed a black taxi and my black taxi exited on the proper ramp. We hit an off ramp and Steph kept right on that black taxi of hers. Of course, this was an exit for an expressway that went way up the coast toward the DMZ. I knew it would take forever and three days to get back to the Han River Park exit. I got frustrated and that is another story. But, after the frustration settled, we drove with our picnic. We waited in stalled traffic with our picnic. We got out and danced in stalled traffic.

We pulled a Korean Fire drill when it was our turn to move through a crowded intersection and everyone behind us had to wait. (Korean Fire Drill same as Chinese Drill, but done in deomcratic and free society) We finally ate our picnic, on the road. We toured parts of the city we had never seen.

As we drove the huge traffic circle around the historic East Gate, Tongdaemun, we never anticipated the lesson we had in store. Because in the last Korean Fire Drill, Brian had taken the steering wheel. Around the Gate we drove...once, twice, thrice and a fourth. We were all looking at each other and thinking, "now what is he up to?" We finally through fits of laughter managed to ask Brian what he was doing.

He said with a bright red face, "I don't know, but I like it!"

Why couldn't everything be so carefree? We lose sight of the fun in life if we don't just let go sometimes. If everything went as planned, think about it, we might really screw up our lives. They say the plan is the first thing to go in battle. Battle boredom, battle monotony, battle safety. Live life to its fullest. If you find yourself doing the unthinkable, enjoy it! Remember the child in us spells L-O-V-E with the letters T-I-M-E. Spend some time exploring.

Show your inner-child, and your friends, that you don't always have to know what you're doing in order to enjoy it. Go out take the kids ice skating and fall down really hard with them lots of times. Stay in, cook something really exotic, and order pizza if you screw it up. Extend yourself to those unknown streets in life, and do it with someone who will benefit the most from the T-I-M-E it takes to get there and back.