Our COVID-19 lessons
By Redden Soonyoung
It was early June when I received a phone call from my son: “Mom, we're moving to Anderson Island and need your help.”
While the number of COVID-19 cases in Korea had stabilized, the number in the U.S. was increasing, and by August it was approaching 5 million.
Despite a dissuasive tide of travel advisory warnings and well-meaning expressions of concern from friends, I rushed to be by my son's side. But my head was spinning with questions: Moving to an island? Why? With a five-month-old baby?!
Once the mortgage was closed, we rushed to put the moving truck on the first ferry headed to their new nest in Puget Sound, Washington State. When we arrived, a luscious bay shrub and artichoke plant greeted us in front, giving the house an exotic air. The backyard housed a lush garden with a wide assortment of fruit trees, vegetables and herbs, surrounded by a forest of Washington's tall pine trees. A small blue shed stood guard nearby and a mother deer and her fawn strode out from behind its shadows to greet their new neighbors.
While taking care of my grandson, I spent a lot of time outdoors. He loved inhaling the fresh air and touching various leaves with his tiny hands and feet during our walks in the forest. Secluded on our own plot of land, we strolled around free from COVID worries, letting the cool breeze brush against our bare, maskless faces.
One night, my son and I walked to the shed and sat on its moss-covered roof. The sky shone bright as the moon and stars danced over a charcoal-colored backdrop of pine trees, their sharp tips piercing into the night sky.
My son said, “Don't work too hard weeding and cleaning stuff. Just chill out.”
I said, “But that's why I'm here, to help!”
“If I had just invited you, you wouldn't have come. You work hard, but you need to just take a break and enjoy life.“
As we stared at the glittering stars, my heart marveled, “When did my little boy grow up to become so mature?”
As life settled down, they decided to get goats and chickens. I named their goats San (Mountain), Bada (Sea) and Namu (Tree), hoping to embed these three Korean terms into my grandson's vocabulary among all of the English words he will learn in their home on this forest-covered island.
While preparing for my return to Korea, I was once again awakened to the harsh reality of the “real world”: masks, sanitizers, travel restrictions.
I boarded my flight, reflecting on the term 'healing' as I reminisced about the past three weeks. While COVID-related complications in making work-related progress have been frustrating, COVID-19 has also taught me that even as our lives get more hectic, it is important to savor precious moments and make time to connect with nature and our loved ones. The conversations, arguments and memories of holding each other's hands on the mossy roof will be something that unshakably binds us together despite living 8,000 kilometers apart.
Redden Soonyoung (soon4870@gmail.com) is a life explorer through conversation, cuisine and cultural exchanges by living in three countries, the U.S., Croatia and Korea.