Daily Life

Daily Life

Paul woke up in shock when he heard the alarm go off. When he looked at his smart phone, he squinted to see what the time was. The lock screen illuminated in the pitch of darkness and read, 

‘4:30 A.M.’

He sighed and let out a yawn, his eyes droopy as he tried to stay awake. He massaged his neck until he realized that,

‘I’m not going to stay awake in this bed…’

Grudgingly, he swung his legs towards the ground, stood up and headed to the bathroom to wash up. He did the usual: He washed his face, shaved, and put on various beauty products for men. He then headed towards the kitchen, carefully, trying not to wake his family up. 

Paul put on his clothes in the other room of the apartment, and headed to the table to see some rice, bacon, and various side dishes. He saw a note and the contents of said note put a smile on his face. He sat down, grabbed his chopsticks, and began to eat his meal. He hastily put everything back in the refrigerator, put on his backpack and headed out. When he headed out of his apartment to the nearest bus station, he yawned once more and looked up to the sky, seeing that it was still dark outside. It was the winter-spring transition period, but the sun hadn’t made its’ appearance on the horizon yet. 

Yet…. Paul smiled. There was a time and place for everything, and he knew it wasn’t yet the time for the sun to rise, and he would enjoy the solitude of the nature around him during this early time of morning even before everything started to move, bustling with the sounds of society. In time, the bus arrived, and he got on, greeted the driver, and took a seat by the window. He looked out to see that the morning looked fresh and crisp, a perfect system that was created from the beginning of time. 

He tried not to sleep and looked at his smartphone to see some messages from his friends in Korea. He had no intention to go back, but he did keep some sort of contact with them, for some of them were people he was indebted to, and some of them were people whom he could confide in. 

Paul replied to everyone who sent him messages, and after an hour of travel, he got off at the stop that was the closest to his… theological seminary. 

In truth, he was one who didn’t want to come close to one of these institutions in the first place. But at the late(?) age of 47, he was literally dragged into this after seeing that his life was completely blocked off. Hence, he was a far distance from home, learning at this age. 

‘Looking at Heaven? Yes, it is the answer, but honestly…. Sometimes I just want to sleep in…’ He thought to himself as he pushed the doors open of this antique, silent and yet small campus that was his theological seminary. He fisted his hands to head in when he realized that the sun had come up from its’ place on the horizon and smiled. Even though he admired the world in its’ darkness, light was always brilliant and radiant. He knew then why humans generate Vitamin C from the sun. Before he headed in and seeing that he had a couple of minutes on his hand before he had to go, He soaked in the sunlight that was ever shining on the land. He could see various things that he couldn’t see and was awe-stricken at such. 

But time was time, and as the saying goes, time was money, or in this case, time was essential. For someone like Paul: He always emphasized punctuality. Hence, with a sigh, he went into the doors of his institution, to be met with the smell of wood. He went upstairs to see his fellow classmates and colleagues. One of them, John asked of him, “Hey Paul, you’re on time. But why don’t you drive all the way here?” 

It was true. Paul could drive here in half the time it takes him to take the bus and commute. Paul shrugged, “Well, my wife has to use the car, you know? Driving our sons and doing errands?” 

John smiled, “You know, Paul, I really respect you for being so diligent. If it was me, I don’t think that I would have had half the diligence you have to do all that and take the bus.”  

Paul smiled in return, “Trust me. You get used to it as time goes by. It is a mere sacrifice I take for my family, and I believe you’d do the same, am I wrong, John?”

John laughed heartily, “You got me there, man. Guess families are important, eh?” 

Paul chuckled in return, “Yup. Very important. I only wish I am the father that my sons need to navigate life.” 

John saw that his friend had a sort of downcast expression on his face and put his hand on his back, “Look man, parenting is a lifelong process, and we aren’t exempt from that until we die, so cheer up, I know I’m still learning.”

John gave Paul a grin to which Paul chuckled with a grin of his own. He took out a notebook and a pen to prepare himself for the lecture today. He winked, saying thank you to his friend that he met in these halls. Halls that people came to learn and become servants, not masters. 

He wrote in his notebook in Korean, “The thing that is given to humans is life. Life is something that is given to everyone, and they feel sadness, pain, happiness, etc, and they love someone marry, and give birth to their next generation, and they live their lives whether rich or poor, as it is given….”

Paul, as he listened articulated on what he meant, and as he did, he then realized the professor’s lecture as it was progressing. Progress, didn’t mean necessarily that you grew, but progress meant that you were going somewhere, and Paul couldn’t wait for that, even if he had to daily wake up to pitch darkness in the wee hours of early morning.