Happiness cultivated through a steady, leisurely, and organized life

“Living today by controlling impatience and reducing greed.

“Isn’t that the way to live in harmony with myself?”

"It's a Good Thing to Live Like Bonobono" "Anyway, Summer" "My Leakage Diary"
A new essay by author Kim Shin-hoe

“When things that I used to do without any worries start to feel burdensome, and when they become a huge stress and weigh me down, cracks appear in my daily life.
“When I feel like I’m broken, my daily life is already broken.”

One day, a crack appears in the writer's life, which at first glance seemed stable.
So, instead of his usual routine of setting big goals and striving to achieve them, he decided to live a simpler life, consistently doing one or two small things.

In "Consistent Happiness," which simply records the small events of the day experienced by the author, the joy of finding "happiness" in seemingly monotonous moments is delicately infused.
I make breakfast to fuel myself, spend the whole day writing and nurturing my dream of a "lifelong career," take my dog ​​for a walk, savor the gifts of the season, and fall asleep with a light heart, knowing that it's been a good day.
Meeting loved ones, recharging your life energy, enjoying your own holiday, and recovering forgotten joy.
He realizes that the consistency he repeats every day is what ultimately allows him to live another day.


But then, there comes a time when you suddenly want to become a hermit.
However, in a single-person household, when 'I' stop, the surrounding environment also 'pauses'.
To regain the lost vitality of daily life, simple attempts must be made consistently.
The process of finding out what I want to do today is a long one, but it provides an opportunity to encounter new landscapes.
This book offers 40 “courage for the day” through four keywords: “repeat,” “want to protect,” “connect,” and “respect.”

As time goes by, I think more and more about consistency.
What is consistency?
Silence or honesty.
Even though we know the power of this, which is represented by sincerity above all else, it is not easy to apply it in life.
However, in order to enjoy something you like for a long time, you must believe in the power of consistency.
I must not take lightly what I have been doing repeatedly.
It also helps to remember the beginning.

--- p.13

What you need to remember every time is that you have been doing something consistently.
The small repetitions of daily life that have become ingrained in my body and become routines will eventually lead me to my destination.
Like someone who has forgotten that they have already achieved their childhood dream.

--- p.16

After preparing a leisurely breakfast and eating it slowly, I feel like I've already had a good day.
So what if all I did that day was make breakfast?
If today wasn't great, just make breakfast again tomorrow and cheer up.

--- p.37

Each one will have its own start button.
In other words, it's about starting by somehow blocking out the thing that makes me the laziest.
My start button is wash.
Washing at home is divided into four levels.

--- p.41

Watching a dog fall asleep and rest comfortably to music as a lullaby is a small joy that comes with every day.

--- p.51

The day I go home.
I thought as I stuffed my sweat-stained clothes into my bag.
Will I run harder in the future, or will I soon become lazy?
One thing's for sure: you won't be wondering whether or not to pack your running shoes in your suitcase.
A travel bag with running shoes is different from just a travel bag.
There is a difference between a running trip and a non-running trip.
In the future, I will continue to travel with nature.

--- p.75

A quiet night is essential, if only to maintain a daily life with a pleasant breeze blowing through.
A piece of a day where leisure flows like water, without a single moment of pressure.
In it, I organize today and prepare for tomorrow.

--- p.127

People say that they 'take' dogs for walks and 'play' with them, but dogs give us much more than that.
This dog will live well without me, but I don't know if I will live well without this dog.
There has never been anyone in my life who has brought me this much happiness.
To some, these words might sound like a story about a child who is more precious than life itself.

--- p.142

A heart that loves and cherishes others gives you new perspectives.
It also gives you different lips and ears than before.
Because of this, you get a new language.
It's like learning another foreign language.

Like the love language exchanged between lovers, nicknames that change like cell division, speech that naturally shortens or lengthens the tongue, and catchphrases that are only valid between the two of you make your relationship stronger.
Love is both infinitely possible and closed.
--- p.206

What great strength can I be in your future?
However, I think it would be enough if I could just ask someone, “Auntie, are you going home?” whenever I meet them.

--- p.231

I didn't get lost much along the way, I made only a few mistakes, the results weren't bad, and on a report card, I think I would get a 'good' grade.
I need to eat quickly and have a cup of coffee.
I'm finishing work here today.

--- p.249

Everyone works and lives with their own skills and character.
The world calls that a cat.
The determination to only try as hard as I can, to give up on things I can't handle, strangely gives me courage.

--- p.261

I think a day is enough if you just do two or three things you like.
Living today by controlling impatience and reducing greed.
Isn't that the way to live in harmony with myself?

--- p.270