Chuseok

The holidays I remember differ from when I was a child, after becoming an adult, and now that I have my own family.

 

In elementary school, I didn’t have many relatives, but I enjoyed spending time together with the ones we did meet. Although traveling back and forth was tough because of my severe motion sickness, I liked eating together and chatting once we arrived.

 

But at some point, our gatherings with relatives became less frequent, and we started spending the holidays quietly with just our immediate family. Although I cherished the memories of my childhood holidays, I didn’t mind the quieter celebrations either.

 

After starting my own family, the holidays felt quite nice. They brought back the lively atmosphere I remembered from childhood, and it was nice to see people I hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

That is, until last year. This year, my feelings about the holidays are complicated. It’s something I can’t fully explain in words, but especially this Chuseok, my heart feels very heavy. I want to spend this Chuseok quietly, but it’s not going as I wish… and that’s the problem.

 

I hope everyone else has a wonderful Chuseok.