[Ekohoon] At Life's End

My wife knows some people who work for social enterprises and organizations. Among them, there's someone who helps refugees, and they play futsal with North Korean defectors and refugees every week. I also enjoy futsal, so I got invited to join them once.

While there weren't many North Korean defectors and refugees, it was a very refreshing experience. In the past, South Korea played against North Korea in World Cup qualifiers. I'm not sure if it felt the same, but playing soccer with North Koreans was incredibly new and exciting.

I was curious about their soccer style. They seemed to have been pretty good at soccer in North Korea. It didn't seem like they were trained by any professional, but they displayed the skills of someone quite good in the amateur world, like a really good player from a neighborhood in Korea.

Among the refugees, one friend played soccer as a hobby, and another was still a high school student. They were friends who had fled to Korea from Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. I gratefully enjoyed playing futsal with them, laughing together.

It really touched my heart. Lately, I've lacked direction, and my sales are really bad, so I'm struggling and feeling down. I'm always making a sad face, but they were different. In a way, they might have even more reason to be sad. Their countries are in turmoil, and they've become displaced. They are in a situation where, unlike us, even if sales aren't good, they can't have jobs or receive money.

Despite that, seeing them laugh while playing futsal taught me a lot. Even in such a bleak future, they enjoy what they love and smile. I'm living a better life than them, yet I'm filled with frustration and complaints. I feel so ashamed.

Today, I was reminded that I forgot to be grateful, and I realize again that I need to be thankful for those people and things.