[One Thousand Characters a Day] Making a Path and Walking in the Heart's Field <2>

Editor's NoteWhen we are healthy, we take everything we have for granted. Family, friends, work, social activities, and all the environments surrounding us. Then, when sudden illness or accidents occur, we lose the ability to do what we once took for granted, and only then do we realize how precious everything we had truly was. Professor Emeritus Shim Young-hee of Hanyang University began to overcome a disease called 'Functional Dystonia Syndrome' by starting to walk every day, beginning from places close to her home. Although it was a limited space?an apartment complex and the nearby Han River riverside?she named each walking path: the Metasequoia Road lined with giant trees, the Pi Cheon-deuk Road that helped heal the body and mind through poetry, the Maple Tree Path where autumn sunlight creates artworks, and the Santiago Road winding through swaying silver grass fields. Every day, she set out on these heart-fluttering walks. There, she recalled childhood friends and met the perfectionist scholar she once was. And she realized that although it was painful and sad to be ill, it changed her. She moved away from always running toward goals and began to enjoy the journey itself. Professor Shim’s essay Mind’s Far Field, Making Paths and Walking is also available on the YouTube channel (Joongmin Sesang, https://www.youtube.com/@joongmin_ibc). Word count: 1027.

At first, I walked the dirt road with the silver grass field thinking it was just a country road. But over time, I grew fond of this dirt path. The road curves long, and when walking from Dongjak Bridge toward Seorae Island, tall apartment complexes appear ahead. The quiet, rural atmosphere quickly breaks, but after walking a bit, the road turns left, the concrete blocks disappear from sight, and the rural atmosphere returns.

Conversely, when walking from Seorae Island toward Dongjak Bridge, distant mountains appear, and only silver grass fields and roadside wildflowers are visible. It truly feels like a country road. Perhaps because of this, walking in this direction felt much better, and I took most of my photos here.

Throughout late autumn and winter, the dirt road showed only brown silver grass fields. Then, in spring, various grasses and flowers began to sprout along both sides of the dirt path. At first, it seemed covered with clover. But upon closer look, it was red clover, which is larger than common clover and blooms pink flowers.

As summer approached, red poppies that bloomed along the lower Banpo Stream path began to appear here as well. At Banpo Stream, I could only see them on distant hills, but here they grew right by the roadside, allowing a detailed view. The colors varied from red to orange, and some flowers bloomed in mixed colors.

By midsummer, under the scorching heat, the greenery deepened, and small, nameless wildflowers bloomed in pink, blue, and white, harmonizing with each other, creating a fresh summer scene. This made me like this path even more.

Once, I took a photo of the back of myself walking this path with a friend. After posting the photo in our group chat, a friend said, "It looks just like the Santiago Road." Hearing that, I thought, "Yes, this is the Santiago Road!"

It is a rural dirt road with few people, a path of hardship where you sweat profusely under the summer sun, and a road you must endure while facing the howling cold winds in winter. A dusty path stirring up dry soil in my heart. A road I do not know how long I must walk.

Looking closely, I realized I was walking that road.

- Shim Young-hee, Mind’s Far Field, Making Paths and Walking, Joongmin Publishing, 15,800 KRW