Hey everyone, are you living your best life?
Was that a bit too deep? 🤔 What does it even mean to live well? I wondered that myself while asking. ‘Even I’d find it hard to answer,’ I thought. Does living well or stylishly mean dreaming of building a home on Mars, creating AI that surpasses human intelligence, or maybe leading a company into the future? 🤷♂️
Let’s put that aside for a bit. Recently, a friend posted a recommendation on Facebook about a new Watcha drama series titled ‘Today Might Be Spicy.’ 🌶
It was nice to see Han Seok-kyu after a long time. His voice is just amazing. Did you know he was originally a voice actor? My friend is a fan of Jungmilla, who sang the O.S.T for the drama, and I like her too. Though I found out about her through my friend. When I plug in my earphones and listen to her music, it’s like she’s whispering sad stories right next to me.
The drama’s subtitle is ‘A Husband’s Kitchen Diary Preparing Meals for His Departing Wife.’ It’s based on an essay by the same name, which is actually the real story of the writer Kang Chang-rae. One day, the writer unexpectedly received a request from his wife, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
I wish you could cook for me now.
The writer, who could only make ramen, started searching the internet and began cooking for his wife. This essay records the recipes he prepared for her and the stories behind them. From then on, she only ate what he cooked. And, despite having been married for 35 years, she said the last three years were the happiest of her life. ❤️
I haven’t watched the drama yet. Maybe I’m afraid of seeing Han Seok-kyu sitting alone at the dining table towards the end? Instead, I keep replaying Jungmilla’s O.S.T. While listening, it hit me that living well might be like her music. Sure, music that fills every corner like a storm is attractive in its own way, but it doesn’t have me in it. In Jungmilla’s songs, I find myself sitting between her guitar and vocals, pondering alongside. I become part of the empty spaces in the music without even realizing it. The simplicity and clarity around me make me feel like I’m taking a step into that space, sensing the ground beneath my feet, feeling the warmth of where I place my hand to sit, and seeing the view from where I sit.
The step into that space,
the feel of the ground beneath your feet,
the warmth of the spot you touch to sit,
the gaze from where you sit
These things make me feel as alive as when sand touches a wound. That’s when I realize, ‘Ah, I’m alive,’ and soon after, ‘It’s good to be alive.’
Why did Kang Chang-rae’s wife find the last three years, despite her struggle with cancer, to be the happiest of her 35-year marriage? When she was healthy, she lived each day navigating through the complexities of life like everyone else. But then health issues arose, and one day she asked her husband to cook for her. From then on, they continued the simple ritual of ‘he cooks, she eats.’ In that simplified yet intricate life, she could fill the spaces with her emotions, conversations, and feelings. She didn’t send rockets to the moon or work in AI development, but perhaps that’s why – even as a cancer patient – she could live well.
Life isn’t as long or easy as we might think. Even if I stand firm and unchanged, my value is influenced by what’s around me. Our unique human traits of awareness and intelligence lead us to doubt and deny ourselves. If that’s the case, maybe just living is enough to deserve praise. If you’re living, aren’t you already doing well? Then, we should pause and recognize it. Because if no one else does, you should be the one to praise yourself. 🌟
By the way, when will I finally get to watch this drama?
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