People I Like and Why, Part II - Julie

What began as a professional business affiliation (in fact, there was a reporting relationship involved) has evolved into what I hope is the beginning of a long friendship; this, despite her imposing schedule challenges and my often laissez-faire social skills. As with so many friendships, I suppose we make a somewhat unlikely pair. She's affable and good natured and seems to thrive on social interaction. While that may have once described me, I've become less and less enamored - or at least much more selective - with making the scene. Julie is hip and contemporary. Her IPod playlists are chock full of the likes of Rhiana, Sugarland, Justin Timberlake and The Killers. Mine holds The Louvin Brothers and June Carter Cash. She follows "American Idol" on Fox, I prefer "American Masters" on PBS. C'est la vie.


About a year ago, Julie became part of what will forever be my favorite personal travel story. She and I were together on a two-week business trip that included stops in Seoul, Pusan, and Hong Kong. This was my first trip to Asia and her first to South Korea. And despite having a ton of work to do, there was some down time and we shared a determination to explore as much of the local culture as time would permit. Thus began our first Sunday morning in Seoul.


After working out (more on that later), we met in the lobby of our hotel. As often happened, she was there before me and had already collected maps, schedules and suggested spots for Seoul-searching. Being typical mono-linguistic Americans, we were delighted to engage the English-speaking concierge, a pleasant fellow who provided us with many helpful tips. Our day's agenda included a short bus ride to a local park which featured a celebrated Buddhist temple, followed by a cab ride to a famous outdoor market, from which we planned to ride the subway back to our hotel before dinner.


The park and the temple were lovely... beautifully landscaped grounds, serene and appealing. Just as we were leaving, it started to rain a little, but no problem - I spotted a bright yellow cab dropping off its fare right across the street. Julie was putting something into her backpack, so I ran over to the cabbie, showed him the market on our map, and started to climb into the cab. The cabbie, who spoke only Korean (go figure), seemed somewhat confused, so I became my most assertive - yet polite - self, gesturing and continuing to point to the map. Eventually, after a brief conversation with the people he'd just dropped off (to arrange a return pick-up, we assumed), the cabbie retrieved some items piled on the back seat of the two-door yellow cab and indicated we were welcome to board.


As we started to pull away, I commented that it was unusual for a taxi to be a two-door vehicle. Julie said his taxicab ID card looked like a race car driver credential. After a few miles, Julie further noted that it was also odd that there was no meter. I confidently asserted that they likely worked on a fixed fare system in Seoul. (Mind you, at this point, even I didn't realize I was completely talking out of my arse). Before long, our driver was signaling to see the map again, even while doing his best Grand Prix-style motoring through the Sunday Seoul streets. We tried our best to reference the map saying things like "FAMOUS OUTDOOR MARKET" loudly and slowly, as if that would bridge the language difference. Finally he pulled out his cell phone, called someone, and eventually found his way to an area rife with people, smells, merchandise and music. He pulled up to the curb, jumped out and ran around to the passenger side of the yellow cab to help us disembark. He pointed to a large kiosk about fifty yards down the street that had a prominent sign which said, in English, "Tourist Information."


"Oh, thank you, thank you," we yammered as we handed him 25,000 South Korean Won (approx. $20 US), asking if that was enough (or, more accurately: "IS... THAT... ENOUGH?") Our driver absolutely refused to take our money. Instead, he backed away from us, bowing respectfully and waving toward the kiosk. Despite our best attempts insisting he take the cash, he was soon back in his vehicle rapidly pulling into traffic. We looked at each other - looked back at the yellow car, whose commercial graphics suddenly seemed to sport more of a race car enterprise than a taxi theme - and simultaneously recognized what had just happened. Cabs in Seoul, by the way, happen to be RED. Oopsie.


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A quality I particularly admire in Julie is her ability to set a goal and stick with it. Not long before we took that trip, Julie had been looking ahead and decided that she was going to welcome her upcoming 40s by becoming a smaller version of her fine self. As anyone who has tried to lose even ten pounds knows, this can be a daunting undertaking. As she does with most projects, she did her homework and made a plan. In addition to assuming discipline about all things edible, she made a New Year's resolution last year that not only would she commit to regular gym workouts, she would log 500 miles of walking on her "Nike+" sports kit by June 1. That's an average of 2.7 miles a day, but who's counting? Not only did she achieve that goal, but she welcomed her big 4-0 being at least 4-0 lbs lighter. The truly amazing part is that she actually made it look like fun.


This year, she went one better. Why walk when you can run? A couple of weeks ago, my friend finished a 1/2 Marathon. 13.1 miles without stopping. And, by the way, she's now down about 70 pounds.


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So, Ms. Bossy-boss (I didn't say she was perfect, did I?) - in case you're reading this... Be aware that you have become my inspiration to address the extra "me" that has developed around my middle over the past few years. And while I'm not committing to any 1/2 Marathons, I do plan to welcome my upcoming "zero birthday" a bit healthier and lighter. Thanks for being yourself, Sista.