109 things to be happy about
.jpg?w=728)
By Hyon O'Brien
It is not that easy to be on top of the emails that pile up daily in my inbox. However, I make sure I check emails from the BookBub, which alert me to free and discounted ebooks. The other day I was intrigued by one title among the offerings: “14,000 Things to Be Happy About”. This book contains a quirky and irresistible listing of the many little things that make us happy: places, moods, thoughts, celebrations and our daily bread. This gave me some inspiration for this month's column. Fourteen thousand seemed ambitious, so I put the number 109 in the title because tomorrow, October 9th, marks the national holiday known as Hangeul Day, and I’m happy about that.
For ages Korea primarily depended upon and borrowed Chinese characters for writing. However, King Sejong (1397-1450) had a vision to make the whole country literate by creating an easier way to write the spoken language. In 1446, 28 phonetic characters were created and “Hangul” (Korean writing) was officially proclaimed. A manual called Hunminjeongeum (Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People) was provided to further help people understand the scope and nature of the new alphabet.
So, one of the first things in my 109 things to be happy about is that I have Hangeul. I celebrate this beautiful, simple, scientific alphabet. I know it’s beautiful because I have studied calligraphy for years to appreciate its beauty. I know it’s simple because I taught foreigners (Peace Corps Volunteers and others) from scratch how to read Hangeul and they get the gist of it within a couple of hours. I know it’s scientific because the shape of many of the letters depicts the shape of the tongue and mouth making the sounds they represent.
Another thing to be happy about: as a Korean, I can speak English to communicate with non-Korean speaking people to let them have a glimpse of Korea, Koreans and Korean culture. I couldn’t imagine not having all the non-Korean friends I have made over the years: they have enriched my life so much and I have received so much joy and happiness by knowing them. The laughter I have shared with some of them is one of the most precious ingredients in my life.
I am happy that I can hear, smell, touch, speak, see, and taste. I have seen people without hearing, eyesight and speech. I have seen people without any ability to enjoy food. I promise myself to never ever take for granted these basic abilities that I was fortunate to be born with.
I am happy I have had a loving husband for the past 46 years and we were granted two gorgeous daughters and three grandchildren, who deepen my sense of well-being and rootedness. If I laugh more freely, it is because they are in my life. I also count the blessings of having loyal sisters and brothers in Korea. As I regularly talk to them, I don't feel the distance and geographical barriers living apart from them.
I am truly happy about modern technology that makes it possible to communicate with all my loving family members and friends easily and instantly at a reasonable price or completely free. When I recall what I had to go through to talk to my parents for a few minutes from Hawaii in 1969, I am grateful for the amazing progress we've made in so many ways. I can video-chat with my daughter in Washington and see our 14-month-old grandson moving around with his new toy or smiling broadly in response to my loud greetings. I can text our friends if we are late for appointments so we all can relax instead of being anxious about possible accidents. I can send this column via email to my editor in Seoul from Florida. How happy I am that I can continue to share my thoughts with The Korea Times readers even after leaving my beloved country six years ago.
I am thrilled that all forms of music, art, dance and film are available for me at the touch of a button. I am typing this piece while listening to Mozart's Horn Concerto, one of my favorites. I also am uplifted looking at beautiful embroidered cranes and pine trees on a silkscreen in my living room. Two Tibetan chests decorated with rustic folk art and an oil painting depicting a street scene with girls on bikes in Hanoi remind me of pleasant times traveling in Asia with friends over the years.
When I see the announcement of a movie made from a book I’ve read, my heart skips a beat in anticipation of being happily engrossed in the story-telling in a different medium. “Sully” is the latest. I read "Highest Duty," a biography of Capt. Chesley Sullenberger who saved all 155 passengers and crew on January 15, 2009, when he successfully landed a crippled U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson River. The movie tells the story in a visual way, and I’m glad that more people will get to know this beautiful story.
I won't be able to list all 109 things to be happy about here in this limited space but you can bet that I will jot them down and keep them in store for the future.
I end this piece by urging you to write down every day things that you are happy about: a delicious Kimchi stew, a telephone call from a long-lost friend, a new orchid bud coming up in your garden, a new pair of eye glasses that work perfectly for you, etc. etc.
Happy thoughts!
Hyon O'Brien is a former reference librarian now living in the United States. She can be reached at hyonobrien@gmail.com.