What Was I Thinking?

I went to my pulmonary doctor today, because I keep coughing. I had a headcold and bronchitis while I was in Korea (that made climbing to the top of a dormant volcano   very  interesting), but those are long gone thanks to two rounds of amoxicillan and some nasty tasting prescription cold medicines. I suspected that my cough induced asthma was the culprit, and Dr. Liu confirmed that today. It's back to daily doses of inhaled steroids to keep the inflammation in my lungs at bay, and a five day course of treatment with prednisone, which Dr. Liu says may make me feel "energetic," so I may get more done than usual... It's funny to me that my younger brother's childhood ailments - bronchitis and asthma - have left him as an adult and found their way into my lungs. Why, God? Why? Songs we sing in church with lyrics like, " This is the air I breathe,"  and " Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake, Lord, have your way in me"  have...

Last night I was able to sleep comfortably with the windows open in my house, because the evening air was cool. Hearing the insects sing, breathing air that had not been artificially cooled by a machine, and thinking of God's blessings to me that day made for a restful sleep. One of God's blessings that gave me peace was having made contact with a friend I met in Korea last month. Did I forget to mention that I spent my summer vacation days in South Korea visiting my friend and former GGCA teaching colleague, Tain Palanun? Sorry. Let's back up a little. Let me tell you how I went to Korea. A couple of years ago, I discovered Korean television shows through Netflix. Since then, I have watched many of these programs and reading subtitles while watching television has become normal for me. I became fascinated with the Korean culture I saw through television shows. I found a Korean restaurant in Aberdeen so that I could try Korean food. I read fiction and non-fiction books set ...