Sung Uni Lee
Bio
My desires for the life I am creating:
Full expression.
Full engagement.
Fully in love.
in my Full Hearty way.
Writing to right my wrongs. Writing for levity. Writing to make sense of the less-sense.
Stories (9/0)
Book Report! Ishmael
When I find a book that becomes pivotal to my life, it almost becomes a part of me, like an extra appendage that I can rely on when needed. A book that provides insights and answers a myriad of esoteric questions, such as Ishmael, thus becomes more of an entity in my mind, maybe akin to a friend. Moreover, how I happen upon the book becomes part of the story...like how I meet a friend, or how I find a place to call home. So, you might guess that I don’t believe in coincidences, but I do believe in magic. I might even call it divine intervention (except that intervention somehow seems intrusive) and I happily, gratefully surrender to what finds its way onto my bookshelf.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Feast
Losing my Kimchi Virginity
They would gear up like this about twice a year - in the early part of autumns and springs. All manner of pails and tubs would be unearthed from the recesses of the house and brought together, including the standard 5-gallon bucket from the hardware store. My mother and grandmother are preparing for kimjang, a communal kimchi making session, continuing a tradition from the land from which we are born. There are a couple bushels of napa cabbage to preserve. My earliest memories are vague at best, but I can quickly conjure a feeling, the essence of a formless yet formative memory when the first waft of the kimchi filling hits my nose. For those who have been displaced, torn from their roots, food is the part of the culture we hang onto with the ferocity of a lioness protecting her cub. After all, we are what we eat.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Feast
Drum Roll, Please...
Compassion by definition is “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.”( - Oxford Dictionary) However, we could get more mileage out of such a powerful word if we expand the meaning of the word into the things we feel passionate, enthusiastic about. The things that bring us joy, motivate and excite us. I want to distinguish this feeling from living vicariously from another’s experience since that feels like something that is not earned. I’m talking about a thought fullness and heart fullness that happens among strangers and friends when we allow ourselves to feel what others are feeling.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Beat
Double Exposure Therapy
The first step would be enough to intimate the weak of heart – about three feet high – I had to practically mount the first step of the eleven mile Kalalau trail. I had never done anything like it in my life, so I plead innocence on what propelled me to think I could handle this kind of adventure. I had a fifty pound backpack filled with the things I thought might need to sleep outdoors, without shelter, laid bare to the elements. I had good hiking shoes, laces double knotted with my will and my full-hardiness. It was Hawaii after all; Kauai, the garden isle, prompting one to feel that Adam and his infamous counterpart, Eve, might come strolling past on the narrow trails through the jungle. I was hiking along the Na'Pali Coast on the north coast of the island, one of the most remote places on earth. I had heard that there were only two ways to get there, by foot or by helicopter, and the latter was reserved for emergency situations, a desperate solution. For this reason, the Na’Pali coast attracted those on the fringe and the free-spirited….I wasn’t sure I fit into either category.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Confessions
I Love Riddles
Riddles are a super cute way to flex our intellectual muscle. They play with words, play with perspective, juggle concepts, are simple yet profound, and best of all, punctuate moments with some light humour. Borrowed from a child’s library, a book of best puns and riddles is a great read, a sweet tickle.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in FYI
Mountains or Molehills?
Today, our writing group met to write...epic fail! We did zero writing. Haha, I’m making up for it with rambling, essay form, testimony. Who is it for anyway?!? Myself, mostly, so let me announce my self-centeredness and get that out of the way. Moreover, let me respond further to my rhetorical question; it's for no one and everyone.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Motivation
Lost Then Found
I first landed in his weary hands as a stocking stuffer, almost an after-thought of a gift. The other presents needed to be plugged in, turned on, ruled by a complex set of operations. By contrast, within my sleek, black covers, I was holding an invitation for the soul. I was fed by the human heart and by marks that spoke volumes or cried quiet tears.
By Sung Uni Lee3 years ago in Families
