May is designated as the Family Month by Koreans as we celebrate many important days, such as Children’s Day (May 5), Parents’ Day (May 8), Adoption Day (May 11), Becoming Adults Day (May 16), and Couples’ Day (May 21). My own family has been the center of my “retirement without retiring.” I’m blessed to have been able to live with my wife for 49 years and to work closely with and for her, though I’ve learned that my wife worked for me far more than I did for her during our pre-retirement years. I haven’t started to take a cooking class yet, but I love to cook some exotic dishes to help relieve my wife’s daily chore. I’m also willing to wash dishes, clean the house, and wash clothes.

I grew up in a family with grandparents, parents, four brothers, and three sisters under one roof. It’s nostalgic for me to look back on the old days amid a very big family, while my wife and I are now living in a so-called empty nest. Our children and grandchildren live in three different countries faraway from our home, and we miss them very much. We like to see how our children are doing in their professional careers and to watch grandchildren grow up—it all seems to happen so fast.

I recently heard some complaints from our neighbors, whose adult children brought their own children to stay with Grandma and Grandpa while they went on a skiing trip. However, those same neighbors must secretly enjoy it, since they watch the grandkids again and again.

I watched my grandfather become an absolute dictator, and my own father became the same after his father’s death. In some ways, I played a similar role—though without any real authority—when we moved to the Sates. Our three children were quite young then, but they never hesitated to protest my attempts at tyranny, but my wife always sided with me, something I’ve always been grateful for. Our three children still vividly recall many incidents they didn’t understand then—and some they still don’t understand even now.

Our children were smarter than I was and chose their professional fields over my strong protests. We were delighted to find our first child interested in architecture and were happy when she completed her rigid five-year educational pogrom. However, she wouldn’t listen to my wish for her to find a Korean husband—and now she and her family are doing very well in spite of my protestations.

We though our second child had listened to us—but only one year into his pre-med program, he switched to political science and became a corporate lawyer. He’s now doing just as well with his family in Hong Kong.

Our youngest child chose Yale over my preference for Harvard and chose European literature as his field, even though I had pressed him to study engineering or economics. He is now a professor.

As I look back, I must reluctantly admit that the next generation of my own family seemed to know what they were doing, so I suppose the following generation will also do things that are beyond our imagination—and I wish them all the best.

Those were yesterday... and now...

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that I may be running for the Third Mutual Board, the governing board of this 6,000-family community. There is another board, United Mutual, for 6,000 co-op units in this retirement village. The Third Mutual Board for condominiums consists of eleven members, and four seats will be replaced in an annual election in early October. I was told three incumbents would be running again.

I was persuaded to run by the leaders of the Korean and Chinese clubs in this village. However, it takes about 1,500 votes, while membership of these two clubs is only about 600, so I’ll need some support from other organizations. I’m known by villagers for my newspaper columns and a television show about my books. I’ve also served as treasurer for the men’s golf club for two years. My academic background and journalism experience has impressed some members of the board and other political leaders of this community. My background and experience should help enhance the not-so-good image of a community beset with lawsuits and accusations of wrongdoing by the management company.

Something else that comes up to my mind...

A binge drinker always claims he’s never had enough, even when he’s taken home by his friends. You’ve probably heard that it costs about 100 big ones if you get caught drunk driving in California.

I belong to a club that always bets for drinks, but I’ve gotten smarter at finding solutions to avoid disaster—it’s mixing ice with Soju. I’ve also found perfect mixes in inexpensive wine and yogurt, and plain water and expensive Scotch whiskey. I never get drunk with these drinks. I have conflicting scientific research that seems to indicate that any alcoholic beverage is bad for your health, yet two glasses of red wine a day is actually beneficial for your heart. I never get enough with two drinks, but I’ve never been caught. So go ahead. Enjoy your lifestyle with Soju, wine, and whiskey—but I’m warning you: don’t get caught!

This article also is posted on the web site of the Medical Alumni Association of Seoul National University:

Destiny of a Running Horse

Authored by Dr. Won Ho Chang

List Price: $10.63

6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)
Black & White on White paper
256 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1453767405 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1453767401
BISAC: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs

The Destiny of a Running Horse is an adventurous story of a Korean-American journalism professor, whose destiny came under the sign of the "running horse. This book is an examination of that destiny and looks back at what he has done to accomplish his goals along the way.

Prologue

     I was told by my grandfather that my life's destiny came under the sign of the “running horse,” which would one day carry me around the world. The source of this Confucian prophecy, The Book of Changes, considered the length of one life span to be sixty years. I’ve now surpassed that span by more than a decade, but my destiny continues to keep me running. This book is an examination of that destiny and looks back at what I’ve done to accomplish my goals along the way.

     My first goal was to achieve the highest level of education. I began that journey in provincial high school in Korea, eventually making my way to Seoul to go to college. After eight years, I made my way to Eugene, Oregon, to gain another bachelor’s degree, this time in journalism. Then I went to Los Angeles for my master’s degree, and finally to Iowa City for my ultimate goal, a doctorate degree. It took thirty-five years of hard work to achieve that goal.

     My second goal was to have a successful career and a loving family. My career was centered on the teaching of journalism at the University of Missouri. I was honored to be awarded the O.O. McIntire Distinguished Chair Professorship and worked as a department chair, director of the Stephenson Research Center, and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. I supervised thirty-three doctoral dissertations, wrote sixteen books, spearheaded the use of word processing in printing newspapers, helped establish and modernize newspapers in Asia, and motivated young journalists all over the world.

     As for my family, my wife, Young, and I have been blessed with three children who are well-educated, happily married, and successful in their careers: Susan and her husband, David, have an architectural firm in North Vancouver, Canada, with their sons Ben and Eric; Anthony, a senior counsel for Philip Morris International, lives with his wife, Damee, in Hong Kong with their children, Alex and Chloe; and Eugene and his wife, Tessa are both professors of literature in the Boston area.

     Now, as a retiree, I’ve settled in a retirement community, Laguna Woods Village, in California. My destiny, however, is keeping me running. I travel the world and search for renewed meaning to my life in retirement.

     I found a number of important components of my retirement: I’m determined to work for my family and friends after realizing that I didn’t do as much as I should have while I was devoting my efforts to achieving my destiny.

     I’ve also been searching for wisdom by reading many books, both fiction and non-fiction, which I couldn’t do when I was immersed in my own academic research and teaching. I’m enjoying the natural wonders of the mountains and beaches and practicing my favorite sports, golf and fishing.

     What meaning does my life hold for me now? I invite you to join me as I run to explore that question in the pages that follow.

1.         The Beginning

2.         Preparation for Study Abroad

3.         Journey to the Land of Opportunity

4.         A Tiger Professor in Missouri  

5.         Ajou University and Teaching in Korea    

6.         Journalism: Centennial Celebration

7.         China as a Super Power          

8.         The Future of the Japanese Empire     

9.          Communist Kingdom of North Korea

10.       New Hong Kong: The Gate of the Chinese Empire

11.          Korea’s Rapid Economic Surge

12.       Retirement Village: Heaven on Earth

13.       Family and Friends in Seoul                                       

14.       Seventieth Birthday Tour of Europe

15.       Family Reunion: Mexico Riviera Cruise              

16.       Alaska Glacier: A Cruise with Friends

17.       Hawai’ian Cruise

18.       Cruise to Latino Tango Countries                              

19.       Golf: A Game for Lifetime

20.       Sports Fishing with Friends

Epilogue

     A form of aphasia may be showing in me. I am not so sure my English is good enough to write my memoirs as I have tried for this book. I had written a few books in Korean, but none of these reached a mass audience. Where do I belong?

     Dr. Syngman Rhee, the founding President of the Republic of Korea, was tormented by aphasiac symptoms during his final years in Hawaii. Dr. Rhee was educated in Korea before he went to the States at the age of 29 and returned back to his homeland and was elected as the first President when he was 72. After his stay in America for 43 years, we wondered how he had kept up his Korean language, when he spoke publicly in his Korean that sounded like western missionary sermons.

     However, Francesca, his Austrian wife, was terrified that Dr. Rhee used only Korean and lost his English during final years of his life. A similar story of Rev Kyongjik Han was told by his followers. Dr. Han, one of the pioneering Christian leaders in Korean history was educated and lived the most of his life in the United States. When he was taken to an American hospital, he needed a translator.

     This book project was initiated by my desire to pass along my Korean background, history, tradition and heritage to our younger generations living outside our homeland. I have written a series of monthly newsletters and plan to continue my writing in the hope that the form of aphasia or Alzheimer may not come to me.

     However, the biggest realization of my retirement life while I was working on this project was to find two important facets of my life. The most simple and important fact of my life is that my own existence was a tiny particle of our universe and that the real value lay with my wife, family and friends, who had been devoted for me to reach where I am now, is far greater than anything I own. I have a strong urge and determination to work for them.

     I also found that I needed to take care of my physical strength as well as a healthy mental condition to maintain my retirement agenda. My belated realization provides me the answer to the question, what meaning does my life hold for me now?