28.

I'm sitting here with my chin planted in my palm trying to figure out where to begin to describe the memories I collected from my 28th birthday week. It was majestic, to say the least.

Leading up to my birthday week, my girl gifted me a book via iTunes called Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz. She told me it would be a great book to start off my new year with. Sure enough, it was. It put me in an appreciative and loving mental space.  It's a follow-up to The Four Agreements, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite books. Both books are rooted from ancient Toltec wisdom, and they discuss the fundamentals of self-love and acceptance. A lot of the principles they discuss are common things one may already know, but it makes it clear and serves as a good reminder. Nonetheless, it set the tone for my birthday month. 

From jump, I knew I wanted to spend my birthday weekend at a temple stay. The night before I was heading out, I called to make sure everything was in the clear. Unfortunately, it was booked. I was bummed, but determined to stick to plan A, so I researched other nearby temples. I randomly chose another one and set out the next morning. There is something so thrilling about showing up at the bus terminal, buying a ticket, and hoping the language barrier doesn't interfere with getting directions. I was a little skeptical along the way, because I couldn't pull up the town on my map. I was solely relying on each bus terminal attendant to lead me in the right direction. Two buses and a 3 hour layover later, I was finally on my way to Daewonsa Temple. Oddly, I was the the only person on my final bus. I was more countryside than I have ever been. It had been raining all day, but everything seemed so clear. It was non-stop green pastures with spurts of colorful trees and flowers that went on and on for my hour and a half bus ride. It was incredible. It made me wonder if bus rides had always been this beautiful, or if everything was heightened because I was alone. Finally, I had arrived at an empty lot that did not look like a temple. The bus driver motioned me off the bus, and directed me to walk up a valley. With nervousness mixed with a feeling of well, I done came this far-  I grabbed my duffle bag and exited the bus. 

Halfway up the valley, I met my host. He welcomed me and we communicated mostly through google translator. To my surprise, I was the only guest at the temple. He asked me how I heard of the temple. I answered, "The internet." We both smiled. Apparently, this temple is not known for tourism.

He showed me to my room. It was much newer than I had expected. No furniture, but I had a couple of blankets and a pillow. He gave me clothes to change into, and told me dinner would be ready in thirty minutes. I ate dinner alone. Then, we went for prayer. He showed me the proper way to bow and took me on a tour of the temple, giving me brief history. The temple had been destroyed twice, once was during the Korean War. It was one of the few temples in Korea that had a Tibetan influence. We later met up with a monk for tea time. I was a bit intimidated at first. The monks all seemed so regal and serious. They were regal, indeed, but light-hearted and friendly. We sat legs-crossed on the floor while he asked questions about my family and what brought me here. I vented about the recent shooting in Charleston. I'm not sure they understood wholly, but he shared some the hardships their country goes through and encouraged me to stay compassionate, and to try and see the world through the enemies eyes- in order to understand his heart. I tried, but realized quickly that I had no empathy to offer Dylan Roof at that time. We changed the subject to something lighter. He asked me to tell him funny stories. As terrible as I am at telling funny stories, I tried. After tea time, I went back to my room to rest. It rained heavily the entire night. I don't remember falling asleep and slept through my alarm clock. I woke up scrambling for my phone only to realize I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere. I stepped outside to get some fresh air, and I another monk invited me down for breakfast. 

This particular monk, Sig Nam, took a liken to me. I wore my hair in one of  three ways I usually style my twist, a high top bun with half down. Sig Nam played with my hair, telling me it was a Buddhist style. I didn't realize the connection at first, but remembered seeing pictures of Buddhist with coiled locks and high buns. That relation was a vivid reminder of how connected this world is. Anyways, after breakfast we went for a walk around the temple. It was past anything I could of imagined. The rain had cleared, leaving all the landscape more colorful. All the flowers were in full bloom and I had to watch my step to let frogs pass by. It was hard for me to take in. Luckily, the monks were speaking Korean to one another, so I got to wander. I played a game to see how long I could lookout without seeing a butterfly, it never took too long. Mostly, pure white butterflies. I kept thinking how much I don't ever want to forget any of these details. 

Once we reached the top, I was overwhelmed. The temple was perfectly caved into the Jirisan Mountains. In order to see the skyline, you literally had to look directly up. I wish I had better language to describe it, but it was something to see. Sig Nam must have known how powerful the scenery was, because he left me alone to take it all in. I sent gratitude prayers toward the mountains. 

I know love is on my side. I know I am blessed to have this moment. I thank all the forces that worked together to allow this. I am connected. I am grateful. I am full. I am humbled. I am a true fan of your works, God. Please allow this moment to always be a reference to Your realness. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

That was the first time I had cried that meaningfully in awhile. It was refreshing. I went back to meet with my new friends. He offered me more tea, and the four of us went inside. There was another Korean man that showed up who spent time in Canada and he helped translate. With limited language, we laughed, shared pictures from our phones and ate mangoes. I was almost too comfortable. Sig Nam, stopped us in the middle of our conversation and stated it was time to meditate. He lit an inscent and we all sat up, lightly connected our index finger with our thumb and sat in silence for 10 minutes. It caught me off guard, but I went with it. Afterwards, I understood why it was important. He brought me off to the side to practice a deep form of vibrational meditation, and then decked me out in traditional Buddhist clothing. I was happy that he enjoyed taking pictures, so I could share with my family.

We later went down so I can tour the Tibetan Museum. It's was three floors of pure magic. Every painting, every sculpture, every artifact was so intricate. It was sensory overload. The translator told me how special of a day it was. He told me that Sig Nam was the master of the Museum and that it's very rare for him to mingle with guest. So, when Sig Nam offered to drive me home, I was honored. We road tripped from Daewonsa to Gwangju in small van, stopping to eat and tour more temples along the way. I began to realize how much of a privilege it was to be with Sig Nam, because everyone seemed to be humbled by his presence wherever we  went. When we finally arrived, Sig Nam had an engagement to attend, so they hailed me a cab to get to my destination. 

I juggled with the thoughts of 'is this really happening to me' to 'Ebony,enjoy this moment' the entire day. I couldn't dream up a better way to bring in another year.