How Was Your Day Today?

5/11/2026

Time keeps moving forward without pause, and we are already heading toward the halfway point of this year.

I am also living at a fairly fast pace.

To others, it may look like I am living a relaxed or even laid-back life.

But inside, I am taking large strides, trying not to fall behind as I keep up with time.

These days, I am reading “Myeongsim Bogam You Should Read When You Are Halfway Through Life.”

Among it, there was a character that especially stayed in my heart today.

It was “In (仁, Ren)”, meaning humanity or benevolence.

Honestly, I am not very good at Chinese characters.

I am from a generation that had “Classical Chinese” classes in middle and high school, but at that time, I never truly understood why we had to learn them.

And since memorization was never my strength, I did not study them very hard either.

But today, I encountered the character “仁” once again.

It is made of the radical for “person” (亻) and the number “two” (二).

It is said to represent two people together.

The book included this passage:

“To learn widely and deepen one’s intention,
to ask questions earnestly,
and to reflect on what is near —
therein lies Ren (仁).”

I came to understand this passage in my own way.

If we continue learning, keep the center of our hearts steady, and sincerely care for and ask questions of the people close to us,

then at some point, life becomes not just about “me,” but about “us.”

Yesterday, I received a call from a very close friend who said she felt hurt.

As someone trying to sell her home, she felt that I had not given her enough attention or care because I was too busy.

That was never my intention.

But if she felt that way, then perhaps that is also one of my shortcomings.

As I listened to her voice grow louder than usual, I felt hurt too.

And before I realized it, a tear quietly fell.

But after thinking more deeply about it, I realized that in that moment, she was not only my friend.

She was also a seller who desperately wanted to sell her home.

And accepting those emotions was also part of my responsibility as a listing agent.

Perhaps that is why the character “仁 (Ren)” stayed in my heart even longer today.

I want to pay a little more attention to the people close to me.

Ask a few more sincere questions.

And look a little more carefully into their hearts.

“Friend, how was your day today?”