13 going on 60 by Gyurin Kim, Eldera Mentee
It was a very hot summer day, and I got up and drank a cup of water. Then, I sat in my rocking chair. People were walking on the street, and I watched it through the window. I had nothing to do. I just sat and thought, ‘What can I do?’. I retired from my job, and I’m living with a severance pay. Money wasn’t the problem. Because I just need money for food and a house. My problem was, ‘THE AGE’. I am a 60 years old, retired announcer. I can say that I was a pretty cool announcer, living everyday very busy. But, I had nothing left now. I needed something. Something to do. So, I started to find something to do. Therefore, I send a message to my children to visit my empty, quiet house. They readily accepted my invitation. It was the first time I went out in a long time. I went to the supermarket and bought some cheese, bread, butter and some vegetables. I went back home, and started to make sandwiches. My children and grandchildren came just after I finished making sandwiches. My house became really noisy. They ate the sandwiches deliciously. I read some story books for them. After a few hours, they went back home. And it was very quiet and empty again. I felt lonelier. So I thought about my real happiness. I thought; of course, caring about the people around me is important, but I should find another happiness that I could feel without meeting anyone, so that I could feel happy every time and enjoy every moment. I found that my happiness comes from using my time efficiently. So I went out, first, and started running. Second, I went to a dog cafe, which was the first time I saw dogs in a long time. Third, I went to the library and borrowed some books. It was a healing time. Fourth, I made some perfumes and aromatic vinegars at a handicraft workshop. It was a very healing day. But after the work, I became really sick from walking and doing things so hard. I realized that I wasn’t the young me in the 2020s~2050s. I went to the hospital and got some treatments. After a few days, I became better. And I decided to do things one by one. I wrote my plan on a planner. I wrote, trying Pilates, visiting countries I didn’t go to before, hiking mountains, joining a book club and more. I didn’t forget to write about resting days. Now, I found my real happiness. I am very happy!