The new/old perspective

I came across this temple last night. Diet, my friend from the Philippines, took us to dinner in little manila and we wandered around afterward to walk off our fullness, drink 7/11 coffee and explore. I recognized the temple immediately as I had visited it on my first trip to Taipei in November 2008, with Tina and Mark, while scouting the area as a possible place to study.

Inside the temple, I was overcome by the way I felt back in 2008. I could clearly remember my old self standing in the same spot on the temple's balcony and what I thought living in Taipei and Asia would be like. I tapped into the old stresses of work I had felt at the time and the worry over graduate school admissions, the GMAT, not speaking a word of Chinese... Last night I felt so much relief, and though tired and full, I felt light.

I've been living here five months and although there's not the daily grind, I've gotten used to the day-to-day and am pretty busy. I'm less conscious of how blessed my life is as I get used to the people, sounds, smells, being back in school... The newness and appreciation has worn off. In the temple, I had a new love for my life as it is now. It's so much better than I could comprehend at the time. Also, what seemed like a monumental move and change has in actuality been pretty easy. I guess I have to insert here that Taiwan is an exceptional place, extremely safe, inexpensive, offers national healthcare... All the living essentials are covered. I wish everyone knew how easy it is to switch things up if you feel stuck. I love learning Chinese, doing ceramics, running on the river, I've found a good discussion group, some life long friends... and I wear short sleeves year round. I know now whenever I feel like complaining all I have to do is walk myself back to that temple to get the real perspective.