ohappydays

When I was growing up, we were all poor, so it was rare to find a family that could afford to buy a dozen eggs in a carton. Even though my family just managed to get by, we couldn't dream of having a meal with eight eggs, one for each of us. Only wealthy children could afford to bring an egg boil for lunch, except when they went on a picnic, where they would wrap one or two boiled eggs in paper ..

I've taken tons of tests in my life. I'm not the only one; everyone born in the highly competitive country of Korea has had to take a lot of tests to survive, to make a living, and to be better than others. Entrance exams, various exams and final exams while in school, electrician's license exams, job entrance exams... I'm proud of myself for passing so many exams. I'm often told that I am “stra..

A few days ago, in the early morning, I met my friend H from elementary school in a dream. It was back when I had just joined G Company and he had just joined its sister company, G Telecom, at the age of 25, a time when our youth alone was dazzling. Although we worked in the same building, just a few floors apart, we didn't meet often. Having been apart for over ten years since graduating from e..

The town selected for a vacation with my elder daughter's family was a place devoid of any local government. Such towns, referred to as hamlets, exist only in name, not falling under any legally defined organization like towns or boroughs. They operate independently, without administrative assistance, relying on neighboring towns. With a population of just 430 residents, this hamlet nestled in t..

In the summer of 1974, when I was 25 years old, I started working with Gold Star Electronics and began commuting to work using the company's shuttle bus. Living in a suburban neighborhood of Seoul called Dapsimni at the time, I would board the bus there, where there were usually plenty of seats available. I always sat in a window seat in the third or fourth row behind the driver's seat, and a fe..

One evening, as I headed down to the gym on the first floor of the apartment building for a workout, I noticed dozens of fireflies fluttering near the back door. The water flowing from the pond in the park across the street streamed into the creek right next to the apartment, surrounded by trees and grass—a perfect habitat for fireflies. In Korea, the excessive use of pesticides has made firefli..

It was after Sunday Mass, and some members of the Legion of Mary were heading somewhere together in a car. The topic of conversation in the car was the World Cup, in which the Korean team had regrettably been eliminated in the quarterfinals, followed by that day's sermon. Everyone agreed that the priest's sermon on the Holy Spirit had been excellent, but I couldn't join the conversation. I had m..

During my visit to Los Angeles, I took a drive with my youngest daughter from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles along Highway 101 and Highway 1. For the two hours or so we drove, one side was the deep blue Pacific Ocean, which made my heart feel wide open. Seeing that, I was reminded of the beautiful scenery I saw as a child when I would occasionally take a bus out of town and the deep blue sea conti..

Around our house, squirrels are the most commonly noticeable animals. As autumn deepens, almost every time I open the window, I can see squirrels digging the ground and hiding acorns. When I observe a squirrel running, it dashes here and there, taking a few steps in one direction and then in another, as if participating in a race. However, after a few steps, it stops abruptly, looks around for n..

I came across the following passage in the book "Handbook for the Ministers of Care." "A person who undergoes surgery to amputate arms or legs, or to remove part or all of the breast or other body organs may feel that their appearance has been disfigured, but more importantly, they may feel that their self-worth has been damaged. Those who experience such events realize that their bodies can nev..