my body

 

The topic of today’s phone English session with Nalee is "Body and Health." I’ll write down some scattered thoughts about my body and health.

I am healthy. Exceptionally healthy, in fact—I’ve never been hospitalized for any internal medical condition. I’m newly grateful to my parents for giving me such a sound body. But when I was young, I didn’t realize I was healthy. I was extremely underweight compared to my peers. I wasn’t actually weak, but I might have been frustrated at being perceived as frail. Right now, I’m 174cm tall and weigh 55kg. I still have a very slim build. My weight and height have remained unchanged since my first year of high school, all the way into my mid-50s. As for my appearance—no one’s ever called me ugly, and I occasionally hear that I’m good-looking. Though honestly, I don’t think I really am.

 

Although I’ve had no internal medical issues, I’ve experienced two unexpected accidents—both motorcycle crashes, which landed me in the hospital for about ten days each.

 

One morning in August 2015, I was riding my motorcycle along a country road when a wild deer suddenly jumped out. Bang! I slid across the road. The skin on my left knee was torn to shreds. The deer died on the spot. It was the weekend, and every hospital refused to admit me. I was finally taken in by a national university hospital. The ER doctor, looked so busy, said, “Let’s skip anesthesia and just get it over with. You’re young—you can grit your teeth and bear it.” I agreed. The procedure was done without anesthesia. I felt like a frog on a dissection table. The pain made my body tremble uncontrollably. the surgery went well, and thankfully, there were no after effects.

 

Then, in August 2023, I had my second motorcycle accident. I checked that no cars were coming and entered an intersection. But a truck suddenly shoot out. Crash! The sound was immense. In that split second, I saw a flash of life and death at the same time. My right arm hurt terribly and went completely numb, hanging limp like a scarecrow’s. An X-ray revealed a fractured wrist. The surgery was done under anesthesia. My mind was in this world, but my arm felt like it was in another world. Fortunately, the surgery went smoothly again, and I had no after effects. I spent ten days in bed, but the elderly man who hit me never visited the hospital or even called. I assumed he was fully at fault, but his insurance company insisted I bore 30% of the blame. I refused and said I would take legal action. In the end, we settled at 10%. I felt it was unfair, but I compromised with reality. There was no dashcam, so I consoled myself with the thought that at least the elderly man didn’t lie.

 

During that time, I was imprisoned in the hospital. I couldn’t walk or wash on my own, and even needed a caregiver’s help to use the bathroom. Red fungus even began growing on my bandages. Staring out the window, my perspective on life shifted profoundly. “Ah, to walk freely on two feet—that alone is a blessing.”

 

Office workers in Korea are required to get health checkups every two years. But I don’t really trust hospital medicine. I even think regular checkups are unnecessary. How could a doctor possibly assess my health condition after just 2–3 minutes of questions? I know my body better than anyone else. I actually skipped checkups for seven years. Since that’illegal now, I’ve got health checkups again. Thankfully, all my numbers—blood pressure, sugar range, cholesterol level—are within the normal range. That’s a big blessing.

I quit smoking 25 years ago, and I gave up drinking a year ago. I’m proud of those decisions. There are so many meaningful things in life besides alcohol. Even without it, I’m happy every single day. My body is the greatest gift God has given me. I am always treating it with care. Alcohol is a kind of poison—why would I knowingly put poison into my body?

 

The older I get, the more I realized life is actually quite simple: eat modestly, walk regularly, sleep well, read when I can, ride my motorcycle when the weather’s good, travel occasionally, and stop trying so hard to impress others. , to me,That is awell-lived life .

 

And more important than physical health is mental health. I used to believe that a healthy body led to a healthy mind—that the mind lives inside the body. But it’s the other way around. A healthy mind creates a healthy body. The body lives inside the mind. With the right mindset, even cancer can be overcomed. There’s no need to be too much sensitive about health. Buddha said it’s okay to have a small illness—that small illness can prevent bigger ones.

 

I live each day with gratitude and happiness. That’s why I’m not afraid of death.

They say I live only once. That’s not true. I die only once. I live every day.

And every day is a new opportunity to become a better version of me. Life and death are one and the same. If I die during my sleep, it’s a hallelujah. If I open my eyes in the morning, it’s the start of a festival. Death is not the end—it’s the beginning of something new.

 

Each morning, I start my day by reciting the following lines like a bible

Remember there is nothing in this world that can help you as much as your thoughts, and there is nothing in this world that can heal you as much as your thoughts.

Be happy not because everything is good but because you can see the good in everything.

Your normal day is someone’s dream, so be thankful every day. And today was once everything we wished for.