A blessing in disguise 변장한 축복

                                                   

"Ouch, oh, my goodness!" Touching my big toe, I moaned for some time.

One night, I slipped in front of the water purifier and the ice picker in the refectory. As summer deepens, more people are using the water and the ice, and sometimes drops of water are falling on the floor. 

So it just happened. 

I tried not to fall down, but as I lost my balance, my left foot couldn't withstand gravity. Without expectation, just the middle joint of my left big toe was a bit bent, but it was painful at that moment.

One of my sisters in the community advised me to pack the toe with ice, so I did. I didn't notice the black color while I was packing it. But when I got up early morning the next morning, I noticed the big toe was swollen and had become darker.

After breakfast, I showed my toe to the nurse Sister and she immediately sent me to an orthopedic clinic. After getting x-rayed, the doctor said, "Sister, you have to get hospitalized at once to attach the broken piece of the bone. Ask one of your Sisters in the Convent to bring your clothes."

"Oh, no. I have to go back to my room to clear it first. I can still manage to walk. Let me go arrange my room first. Then, I will pack the things and come back."

Fortunately, I didn't have to get hospitalized because the broken piece was so small; instead, I had to wear a plaster cast. What an unexpected gift it is in a sizzling and scorching heat wave due to increasing global warming! 

I almost cried deep inside, but I reflected on my carelessness, walking without thinking, walking without watching my steps, and even without turning on the light at night, not being able to be conscious of my breathing in small things... 

But it is too late. It has already happened to me. It would be much better to think about the blessings in disguise.

It just happened by the time I began to water the flower beds and take out weeds from the backyard. Perhaps, I need more self-discipline by accepting sacrifice and reparation.

This year in the midst of the scorching heat, I noticed some parts of the flower beds in the Convent becoming dry and weedy. Some of the plants have become almost dry and pale up to the roots because they had not been watered enough. There have been so many things to do every day that I neglected to water them regularly. Every single day, I never forget to drink water and eat meals regularly for myself, but I haven't minded about the exhausting and dying nature. I felt so sorry to see the barren earth.

Usually, being conscious of the visible or front parts is easier than giving proper attention to the hidden or unnoticeable parts such as the backyard or the less-trodden paths.

It is always good and beautiful to clean the dirt or arrange things in the unseen corner or in the back. Without regard to being seen or not, it is more valuable to do what is necessary for the common good. Maintaining the cleanliness of the room or the house is something like taking care of the body and the soul.

 I even postponed my summer vacation because I have to wear the green colored cast for at least four weeks. But my inner reflection has been deepened. What a blessing in disguise!

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2018/08/162_254152.html

The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ August 20(online)/ August 21(offline), 2018