Soon after moving in I went for a ramble in the hills and found myself lost after about an hour. There was no real danger, because houses were scattered around and it was a balmy

summer evening, but I felt the old familiar panic well up. I was tired and very thirsty and scared because I didn’t know the way home.

Wandering down a footpath through some dense foliage, I saw a wild plum tree tucked in with the evergreens. I picked one of the

dark purple plums and ate it slowly, savouring every bite and every drop of the incredibly sweet, fresh juice. In an instant, my thirst was gone, my tiredness had evaporated, and I had a stunning

moment of clarity. The plum was perfect; the moment was perfect.

As I stood there, marvelling at the experience and wanting to hold that kind of appreciation forever in my heart, a deer came out of

the woods and begun nuzzling the plums that dropped to the ground. The deer looked at me but continued to go about her

business with the plums. I watched for a few minutes and then turned and instinctively headed in the right direction for home.

Omma said life is made up of ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows. I realised that plum, the deer, and the day could be

counted as part of the ten thousand joys – and that every moment, if fully savoured could take its place there as well.

From 10,000 Sorrows by Elizabeth Kim