Today I tested for 9th geup, a white belt with the yellow stripe, in Tae Kwon Do. I was terrified. It's hard to be so old and out of shape and forgetful and then go and put yourself out there like that, in front of people you know. But I took a deep breath, and I did it.
Then I did what everyone feeling accomplished does, I stopped at Kroger. Every time I turned a corner, there was another familiar face saying hi. The longest conversation was spent catching up with another mom friend of long ago. My oldest and her middle son were in school together. And it felt nice to catch up on the last few years and have it end on a positive note. I moved along, made it to the checkout (nearly an hour later), and I hear, "Hey, we know that 9th geup!" It was somebody that helped at the Tae Kwon Do testing. There were more faces, more hellos, and eventually there was a trip home.
The trip home led into another trip out to the movie theater to see Lone Survivor. And as we stand there ordering popcorn, another of my oldest son's friends appears. This hello and hug was totally packed with power, as we realized we were there to see the same movie. This friend's history laid out even more of the emotion of the movie right there in front of us. It was emotional. It was powerful. Feeling thankful for all of those that give of themselves for others.
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