A Day Like This

I wake up at 4 AM without an alarm. Feels good.
I hum while filling the house with dawn air,
greet my plant friends and cat friends,
take care of their water and meals. I do some light tidying.

I leave at 5 AM.
I take a light walk on a new route I thought about yesterday.
I look at the trees around me and breathe deeply.
I feel happiness as oxygen reaches deep into my lungs. I exchange warm glances with the early birds.

I smile hard toward the sky.
I send love to Hayagi, Minam, Jeongnam, and Hoedori.

I keep walking in a daze. I arrive under my friend tree.
I greet it and stand under the tree, breathing deeply. I give thanks that today was given to me and pray.
I do simple yoga as my body feels like. About 30 minutes pass.
I head back home and walk as I feel like. I jog lightly here and there.

A little after 6, I stop by the sauna.
I go back and forth between the hot and cold baths, releasing and tightening the tension in my whole body, wiggling my toes.
I massage my scalp and rinse with cold water.

A little before 7, I have a light and sacred breakfast.
One fig, half an apple, blueberries in Greek yogurt with a squeeze of olive oil and lemon.
Standing by the window, I put spoon after spoon in my mouth and chew deliciously, savoring it fully.

I pour an espresso and go to my study.
The window I left open earlier fills the book-filled space with dawn air.
I start writing whatever comes to mind.
My hand just copies what's already prepared in my head. The writing flows without stopping.

Around 9. I stand in front of my study bookshelf and pull out a classic I seemed to have left unfinished last year, flip to any page and start reading.
I jot notes on a notepad, and when a wonderful sentence appears, I write it down in admiration.

As I read eagerly, it's already noon.
I feel a little hungry, go to the kitchen, fry 3 eggs in perilla oil with a pinch of sea salt and pepper, and eat quickly. I move to the terrace.

I sit at the simple desk on the terrace and continue writing. About 2 hours pass.

I sit in the middle of the living room and meditate for a bit. I surrender my ears and head to music I like, and close my eyes.

I go to my painting room. I sit in front of the sketch I did roughly yesterday. I draw it again.
The feeling I drew now feels a bit better, but I compare it with what I drew yesterday and fill in the missing parts.
I stop. I see what needs to be removed. I erase it.
I imagine in my head what colors, textures, and effects I'll fill it with tomorrow. I check if I have the necessary materials.
I simulate tomorrow's work beforehand. Good, I like it. I look forward to tomorrow's work.

I have an evening appointment with Jiyoung and Miae. I'm excited and thrilled.
I go to my dressing room to pick out what to wear, try it on and set it aside.

I go to the video room. I continue the scenario I stopped yesterday. I set an alarm for 1 hour.
I stare at the storyboard on the wall again. I think carefully about the characters and their relationships.
I savor the unfolding narrative again. I watch the completed film imagined from the audience's perspective.
I imagine where to naturally plant what clues earlier for this part. I make a note.
I pick apart the events, places, and seasons again. A movie suddenly comes to mind and I find it.
I decide I need to come back this evening, have a glass of wine, watch the movie and get inspired.

I leave 30 minutes before the appointment time. I leisurely set out on my scooter.
Miae has already arrived at the restaurant and is poking around nearby shops. I sneak up from behind and surprise her.
We smile at each other and clasp our fingertips together. Jiyoung is running a little late. We go in first and look at the menu, enjoying the pleasant decision-making.

I hear recent news about my church friends and chat about this and that. I get home just after 8:30.
I check the cats' meals, water, and litter box, and look closely at each friend's face, pet them and hold them.

I shower lightly and sit in the video room at 9 to watch the movie I set aside earlier.
I boldly skip scenes I'm not interested in and watch the parts I want to see carefully. I rewind and watch again.
After watching about 5 times, I write down at length ideas I can apply to that scene I was thinking about.
I roughly transfer it to the storyboard.
Tomorrow I'll eat dinner early and spend 3 hours to visualize this scene.

It's already past 10. I stand on the terrace, observe 5 minutes of silence under the sky, then go to bed.
Bbung-i, Gae-ul, and Ppo-sireagi have already come and settled around the bed. I gently pet each one's face, then go to bed myself.