TEN MINUTES ON A TREADMILL

Forty-five minutes on a machine that is supposed to help tone the leg muscles and work your heart while listening to music can be quite exhausting. Sweat pouring down the neck and face and the breath starting to come to an end for there are only ten minutes left to go: doctor’s orders.

Suddenly the gym door opens and a young Korean girl walks in. She is wearing clogs, a dressy green blousy, a nice pearl necklace and jeans that go up to her calves. Not appropriately dressed for the workout. Her hello carries a heavy Korean accent. She has a hard time turning on the treadmill that she wants to walk on. And with the high heels on those clogs, it is a wonder how she will accomplish such a task without springing an ankle or falling off the machine.

Five minutes go by and a young Korean boy walks in and says something to her in their language. His hello also carries a heavy accent. He helps her turn on the treadmill and gets on the other one on her right. All three are facing the mirror in front of them, but no one looks at the other although each one knows that they are being observed. At least the boy is wearing runners on his feet despite being in jeans and a real nice green sweater. They talk to each other in Korean and their voices can be heard above the loud music playing through the headphones of the person on the left.

The alarm on the treadmill goes off and the forty-five minutes are over. The key to the gym is passed on to the youngsters while the girl is walking and talking on her cell phone in Korean and the boy is running at a high speed. Goodbyes are said in heavy accents.

Photo: Meire Marion

(Written: June 29, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

The Elderly Man in the Beige Suit ( part 3)

( Note to reader: To understand this story, you need to read the previous parts.)

As I was driving to my physiotherapy, as I do every morning, the thought of my friend, the man in the Beige Suit popped into my mind. Though I have never spoken to him personally, I consider him to be a friend. It warms my heart when I see him. While I was driving the thought of his being alive and kicking came into my mind and a feeling of loss filled my heart.

The physiotherapy session last for forty-five minutes and this morning we worked more on stretching exercise than anything else. End of a school semester can be quite tense and my back somehow seemed to be knotted up. After the torture session, as I call it, I felt much better.

I drove up the usual street that I always do when driving home and then I spotted him. My friend was walking up the street but not in beige. He was wearing a dark blue suit. He looked a bit older and his back was a bit more curved than the last time I had seen him. He seemed to be happy but also in a hurry although he was taking careful steps.

I was elated. Really excited to see him and took the courage to wave at him. However, he did not see it. I noticed that on this morning he was accompanied. He was being followed by a beautiful black dog. I believe it was a stray dog for I did not recognize its breed. Not that I am any good at that anyway, but there are some that I can recognize.

What a blessing it was to see my dear friend walking up the street with a companion. My friend had found himself a friend.

( written June 20, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Father and Son

As I was waiting in the waiting room of the physiotherapy clinic, a cute smile caught my eye when I greeted everyone with a cheerful good morning. The owner of that smile was no older than 6, dressed in blue and white, sitting on a man’s lap.

The man was dressed in a work uniform for the name of the company was clearing written on the right side of his chest, just above the heart. Guess companies do that because you are supposed to pour your heart into your work. This man was reading a popular news magazine while his son had his hands all over it. Not once did the man scold the boy or lose his temper. He just sweetly said, “Please let daddy read.” The boy smiled and made a sound.

The boy made sounds, he did not speak. He also wore braces on his legs, which meant it was not easy for him to walk, if he even did. He made several different sounds but all of them accompanied with a smile.

At this point I caught myself discreetly staring and paying attention to each and every move. The boy looked at the magazine and then at his dad’s face and then the magazine again and his dad’s face. It seemed like he was trying to track his father’s eye route. All of a sudden the boy gently put both hands on his father’s cheeks and guided his pop’s face to his so that they’d be looking into each other’s eyes. With this gesture, the boy gave such a beautiful smile. I caught my caught myself smiling so heartwarmingly and my eyes tearing. Both of them laughed. It was a magical moment.

The man looked at me and saw my smile. I did not turn away in embarrassment for there was nothing to be ashamed of.

The father put away the magazine, took the boy into his arms and put him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and the boy laughed. He got up said good bye to me and took his son upstairs for his session. I kept on watching them. As the father walked up those twenty or more steps, he bounced his son a bit and the boy laughed loudly. Once again my eyes watered and my smile opened wide, and the man looked at me again and also smiled.

There were no dialogues during these minutes, just smiles, laughter and lots of love and acceptance.

(written June 20, 2012)

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copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Don´t Want to go to School!!!!

Honey, get up it´s time to go to school.

I don’t want to go to school, mom.

OK then, convince me why I should allow you to stay home.

Well, to start off with nobody else is going because it is the last week before vacation. If the kids don’t normally want to study, do you think they will now?

Nobody else is going? That can’t be right.

Ok, fewer kids are going. The classes are very empty.

Go on.

Those that do go get stuck watching videos during all the classes or even play games all day long.

It sounds like fun. It doesn’t make sense to want to stay home. Go to school. Watch videos. Play games. Oh how much fun!

Mom, are you feeling alright?

Perfectly fine. Why?

Mom, you can’t be serious.

Son, listen. When you do go to school you always complain about some teachers that just like to teach and don’t like to neither play games nor show videos just to relax and now you are complaining. Come on. This is what you have been asking for all semester. Fun time!

But this is different.

How?

You pay so much money for me to go to school and play all day? I can play here. I can watch movies here and it is cheaper.

Yes, you can and yes that would be cheaper.

So why are you forcing me to go when there is nothing going on?

To teach you a lesson.

Which is?

Come on you are a smart boy. Can’t you figure it out on your own?

Huh?

Come on. Put your thinking cap on.

(Silence and a dumb founded look on his face)

Son, next time you pester your teacher about playing a game or watching a video instead of letting her carry out her class plan, think back and remember how boring it is to do it all day long.

(Sigh) I get it mom.

Good! Now off to school you go. Have fun!

Yeah, right!

( written June 19, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Waiting for Lunch

As I was sitting at the mall food court the other Saturday I observed a mother and a little boy. She wasn’t older than 21 and he was 2 something. They walked by me and the boy was all jumpy and excited because they were heading to the game arcade and he was thrilled with all the lights and fun that was ahead of him. He screamed, jumped and pulled his mom by the hand. I was also thrilled to see his way of expressing his pleasure; however, his mother was not. Every time he jerked her arm she scolded him and did not spread one smile. It pained me to see how someone could not be happy at someone else’s contentment. She was his mother; shouldn’t she have been a little bit pleased because her son was filled with joy? Perhaps she was going through this situation alone. The thought of her being a single mom crossed my mind. Soon enough they mixed into the flashing lights and the scene before my eyes changed.

My attention moved over to a man in his late 30s that sat at the empty table beside me. A few seconds later he was joined by three small kids between the ages of 2 -5 and a woman in her mid-twenties who was expecting a baby. I figured they were his family. They were wearing worn out clothes jumping all over that father to get a peak at the menu that he was studying. The kids were eventually hungry and anxious to find out what they’d be eating. The father looked angry and tired and the mother looked lifeless. The kids, however, looked overwhelmed and thrilled to be there at that very moment. The man said nothing. He just read the menu, dropped it on the table, got up and walked away. The kids asked their mom if they were going to eat there. The mother said no and told them to follow their dad. It was a sad scene. It was obvious to me that they couldn’t afford a meal from the roasted potato place, which was the menu they were checking out. It made me wonder why this couple, whom to my judgment were not satisfied with their present situation, would even have another child. The way the father just got up and walked away reminded me of other cultures where the man is the head and the wife follow form a distance. Even though the kids did not understand what was going on, they obeyed with smiles on their faces.

While I kept my eye on the LCD screen above the counter of the restaurant I had ordered from which was taking forever, I noticed another mother and child. This time the mother was not holding the son’s hand. The mother was in her 30s and the son was around 6 or 7. He was obviously hyperactive. He was jumping around, running, sliding and extremely energetic. What called my attention was that he was wearing a costume. It was in two different shades of blue, there was a mask and a funny hat. He was wearing it over a pair of jeans and a plain sweater, nothing similar to any super hero that I had seen in my lifetime. The mother got in the lineup to order their lunch and from time to time she would holler his name and call his attention, but to her it seemed like it was something regular that she was used to doing. In my mind I wondered what was running through his mind. He could be anybody he wanted to be in that costume, have a different identity and even imagine that he was invisible in that immense food court, for him evidently because when we are small the world seems huge. There were other kids that walked by him and gave him funny looks. Guess they deep down inside wished they could also be pretending to be a super person.

All these events took place during my 15-minute wait. Finally my numbered was called and while I ate my simple but delicious lunch I wondered why these adults were so unhappy adults. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and spending time with the ones you love is supposed to mean something much greater than money or problems. The smiles on the faces of these special kids, I observed, perhaps because they were in that playground or simply because they were happy just to be with their family; made me smile too and I shared their happiness.

(I am a people watcher. I like observing others and wondering what they do and other aspects of their lives. I have been this way ever since I was a child.)

( written June 18, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Creating a Time Bomb

“Today I celebrate one year that my life has changed completely. It was on this day last year that I was enjoying a BBQ with the family when out of nowhere I was struck by something (enigma in medicine) that prevented me from walking. From that moment, I have changed in mind, body and soul. No regrets, just struggles, pain, victories and lots of lessons. I am very grateful for where I am today although I know I still have a long way to go. One day at a time and one step at a time, thanks to God. I also thank all those who have helped me on this journey!!! Today I celebrate life!” ( Meire Marion - May 15, 2012)

This is a text that I posted on my social networking page. My life has changed in so many ways since May 15, 2011. I see the world differently and it saddens me to see that we only learn through pain. I see people differently and how human values have changed throughout these years.

People are worried about consuming and making money. Obviously both things go together. You need the cash to purchase things. We are bombarded with information from all around about the importance of having top notch equipment and perfect bodies, hair, skin, clothes, homes, vacations and so forth. To have all of this, you need to work longer hours and undergo periods of stress, lack of sleep, mal nutrition, reduce free time, reduce family time, no time to strengthen our spirit and eventually become unhappy workaholics.

When you see it in writing, it is so clear to see how harmful we lead our lives. We prepare ourselves for destruction. We lead ourselves to doom. We transform our bodies into time bombs. One day or another it will all go up in the air. You end up making so much money to be spent on medication and doctors, sometimes. Or is it sometimes? The body was not made to be immortal. One day it will stop functioning properly and then you will be forced to change your life. (If you are given the opportunity, of course.) Eventually towards the later years, if you reach it, you end up wasting money on doctor’s bills.

Nonetheless, one thing that I am truly grateful for is my faith. This is getting stronger on a daily basis. Putting my life in God’s hands is the best decision I have ever made in my life. He has made it possible for me to walk again and even though there are still obstacles to overcome each day there is a new opportunity to make a difference and enjoy what is meant to be enjoyed: LIFE.

So much love! I am sorry if you do not understand what I mean. But deep down in my heart I hope that you too can feel all this love from above.

( Written June 18, 2012)

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copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

A Moment of Madness

The body has a mind of its own and it is not the brain. The brain can control mostly everything that the body does but then there is the moment of rebelliousness. The body decides that it wants to do the opposite of what the brain is telling it to. What happens then? Shut down. Like a nuclear power plant. Better yet, melt down. Or as doctors prefer to call it: a break down. Words used to give meaning to an event to which there is no explanation for. One tries to dig deep within one’s mind, soul and body, but there are no answers whatsoever. What does one do then? Live the agony and the rebelliousness of the body. There are situations which man has no way of getting to or studying. The body is a self mutational being itself. Neuroscientists have tried to put into words what happens but they use just empty words for they themselves do not have a clue as to what is going on. Nonetheless, these educated men and women try to show you that they know what goes on. They are in control of the situation. Others, so they say, have been through similar situations and have survived while others have perished. Very easily said because for everything there are the two sides, in talking about diseases either you survive or die. There are no other options.

Most of the time magazines and medical reports talk about the brain controlling the body and how a person needs to keep a positive mind and high spirits to make sure that the body works well. However; when a person follows these scientific tips and all of a sudden the body decides to take on a different route, an alarm goes off inside your head so loud that makes you lose your balance, rocking all your senses: physical, emotional and spiritual, knocking you down into a hole so deep that even the longest rope cannot get you out. You scream out to others but no one is able to hear what you are saying for their mind and body are working well together in harmony and only yours is out of balance, out of tune.

Hell breaks loose and you resort to your secret world of the unconscious to try to make sense of things and there too there is a lot of pain and agony. Not only do you weep while you are awake, but now you also start to weep in your dreams. How can the only place where things are pleasant come face to face with torment and agony?

You want to run, hide and end it all. You want to turn back time. They say time is on your side and eventually it will run its course and things will get better and help you erase from your mind all this pain and suffering. Mind you, when the body starts thinking on its own, it does not. Nevertheless, deep down inside, deep down within your soul you can hear a voice that says not to give up, to hold on a bit longer, for, this too shall pass.

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( also written on June 14, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Pain, Pained, Plain Pain, Sane? Insane? Gain?

The saying goes NO PAIN, NO GAIN. It is quite a popular statement if I may say so. However, it is better said than actually experienced. After all, what are you gaining? What is the prize? How can you see beyond when there is a burning inside and all you want is for it to end? How can you be so hopeful when all you feel is a pain so strong that it feels as if there are millions of little cannibals all over your body, the size of a tic, stabbing away as if tenderizing meat before the feast? How can a person be content with a phrase like this? How is it possible to actually say this to someone who is suffering from great pain, insane pain, and expect that someone to feel some sort of relief; expect that with a simple saying all the pain will go away?

To your disappointment, I do not have the answer, for the pain is grand and the answers are scarce. I was told that I have to learn to live with this pain. Despite believing that I have learned to hide my pain from others, I do not accept this. When you look at me you think that all is well because of the smile on my face or because of the simple fact that you do not hear me moaning or groaning. In this case, who is gaining? I believe that the winner in this situation is the other person who does not have to worry nor does not even have to bother asking whether you are better. This person, the winner, can go on living as if everything is alright; the way it is supposed to be. Therefore, the person in pain needs to deal with his disabilities all by himself and pretend that all is well. Not really pretend, I think the best verb here would be hide. In the end, all is well, that ends well. Now, isn’t that another good saying to dwell on?

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( Written on June 14, 2012)
copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Gone with the Rain

She had always been a dedicated worker and on this rainy January afternoon nothing had changed. It was the rain season so one was to expect the down pour at the same hour every day. When you live in a tropical country, you are used to those storms that last at most an hour but can flood the streets and cause a lot of damage.

This day the only difference was that there was no where to park near work and the rain did not let down so easily. She ended up finding a spot about two blocks away and waited as long as she could for the rain to die down, but nothing. She decided that she had to be courageous and walk. She took out her pretty red umbrella which matched the red and white dress she was wearing.

Slowly she opened the car door and put the umbrella out and opened it, so far so good, she thought. Then she put her left foot out of the car and all of a sudden her sandal was swept off her foot by the river formed by the rain on the sidewalk. It seemed like a white water rapid. She watched as her shoe flowed down the street. It seemed like it was a white water raft and so instantly out of sight.

Nervously, she looked at her watched and realized that she only had a few minutes to get to her job. In twenty years, this was going to be the first time that she would be arriving late. Her boss had to understand.

One shoe was gone, so she took off the other one, threw it in the car and decided to go barefoot. After all, if the water current was strong enough to take away her shoe, it would have taken away anything else that could hurt her feet, like glass or stones.

The water was warm but rough. She had to be very careful and not lose her balance otherwise the current could drag her away too. She arrived at the office soaked except for her hair that had been protected by the red umbrella. Her lovely red and white dress clung to her body in an unflattering way. She felt embarrassed but there was nothing she could do about it.

As soon as she walked into the office, she ran into her boss who looked at her from head to toe and said, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Dedication” she replied.

( written June 9, 2012 )

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 copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.