"미국 LA 의사댁: 매일 하루가 도전, 그래도 하루를 눈이 부시게 열심히 살아 봅시다

"The Act of Kindness"   당신은 매일 최선을 다하며, 그 과정에서 자신만의 빛을 발견하고 있습니까?  가끔은 아니죠?  인생은 예기치 못한 일들이 생기고 그  크든 작든 각 순간은 우리에게 중요한 의미를 가집니다.   당신의 인생 여정이 더욱 풍부하고 의미 있는 경험으로 가득 차길 바랍니다."  "인생은 내 마음먹기에 달려 있습니다.

"The Act of Kindness"   Life is full of unforeseen circumstances, and it's essential to approach each day with a positive attitude and resilience.  Stories from LA County's New Neighborhood: Sharing Everyday Experiences with American Neighbors During the Pandemic

LA 카운티의 새로운 동네에 이사 온 지 얼마 되지 않았 습니다.  이곳은 조용하고 아늑한 분위기가 가득한 곳 입니다   그런데 어느 날, 이웃과의 사건으로 인해 삶에 대한 깊은 성찰을 하게 되었 습니다.  우리는 사건 이후에 서로를 더 잘 이해하고 존중해야 한다는 것을 깨달았고, 그 경험을 통해 진정한 삶의 가치와 의미를 찾아가기 시작 했습니다  .

의사인 남편과  이 동네로 이사 온 것은 코비드 팬데믹을 피해서 이사를 왔습니다.   미국에서 의사인 한국인 남편은 이미 팬데믹이 몇 년 동안 지속될 것임을 알고 있었고, 가족을 위해 조용한 곳이 좋겠다는 생각이었습니다.   우리는 한인타운 5분 거리인 행콕팍에서 20년살다가  한타에서  30분 거리의 꽃동네 새동네 에서 살고 있습니다.

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Hello everyone! Today, I want to share a rather unique story about our family's experience during the pandemic. Life seems to throw unexpected events at us every day. That’s what makes life so interesting. I believe there is no perfect parent and no perfect student.

For example, my daughter graduated top of her class at Harvard-Westlake and is now attending Columbia University. As for me, I’m a doctor's wife, passionate about my consulting career, and I love gardening. I’ve created a rose garden and a jasmine fence, and I grow organic herbs. Yet, life is far from easy, and every day teaches me to live wisely.

Our story takes place in a new neighborhood in LA County, in the northern hills. It’s a gated community with seemingly endless homes, likely over a thousand. We moved here to escape the COVID-19 pandemic over five years ago. My husband, a Korean MD in the US, foresaw the long-term impact of the pandemic and suggested a quieter place would be best for our family.

We lived in Hancock Park, just five minutes from Koreatown, for 20 years, and now we’re 30 minutes away in this new community. The story I’m about to tell happened almost a year after we moved here, during the height of the pandemic when everyone was incredibly sensitive.

At that time, my daughter was a sophomore at Columbia University in New York. Hearing news about her friends getting sick with COVID-19 broke my heart. I wanted her to take a year off, but she refused. Columbia University even canceled graduations, making it a very depressing period. My daughter was home for vacation when this incident happened.

One day, I had just finished washing my car in Koreatown and parked it in front of our house, which is on a slight incline. Suddenly, a large toy car from the neighboring house rolled down and scratched my car deeply. It was a significant scratch, and I felt so upset, especially since we had important plans the next day.

My daughter, who had been out for a walk, returned home and calmly took photos of the damage. We decided to inform our neighbors. She wore her Columbia University T-shirt, and I was dressed formally since I had just returned home.

We rang the doorbell at our neighbor's house, feeling embarrassed about the situation. A man who looked much like Christian Bale answered the door, holding a small child with a nanny in the background. He was very kind and immediately apologized, offering to fix the car at a place he knew. We didn’t even ask for compensation, yet he insisted.

Wearing masks, we mainly communicated with our eyes, expressing our gratitude and relief. We returned home and discussed the situation with my husband, who advised that we shouldn't aggressively pursue compensation with our neighbors, especially during these sensitive times.

A few months later, during a freezing winter, our 15-year-old Maltese, who was suffering from dementia, wandered off through our open garden gates. After hours of searching, we couldn't find her, and I was devastated. As I sat crying at home, there was a knock at the door. Our neighbor was holding our trembling dog wrapped in a blanket. He had found her during a walk near the mountains.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. It reminded me that despite the challenges and unexpected events, kindness and understanding can make a huge difference. My husband always says, "It's good that it ended well."

This story taught me that life is full of unforeseen circumstances, and it's important to approach each day with a positive attitude and resilience. No parent or consultant is perfect, but we can always strive to handle situations with grace and wisdom.

Thank you for listening to our story. Remember to make each day your masterpiece. See you next time!

Live Your Best Life (Joyce Kim LA)

#교육, #대인관계