happy chuseok

Some people just like talking for the sake of talking or because they like to hear the sound of their own voice.

My theory is that:
1. they are extremely needy for attention.
2. they are uncomfortable with silence.
3. they need some type of validation.

I find people like this pretty annoying (instead of talking, I write/blog... which I guess doesn't make me any better).

Anyway, the other day, I was taking a stroll at our local park. I love going to the park in the mornings- the cool weather, the dog-walking, this sense of "community". I noticed that I go often enough to identify "the regulars." The old German couple, the bearded Japanese man with the lab, the younger gentleman who jogs and always asks what lap I'm on (so competitive~). So the other day, the old German grandpa starts walking next to me and starts chatting me up. He tells me about his old home in Germany, the war, his son, his exercise regiment, etc. I barely shared anything about myself as I just politely nodded and asked the obligatory question here and there. I think I have this intuitive "journalist" mindset where I've grown accustomed to these one-sided convos and knowing which probing questions will allow the "interviewee" to disclose more information. Usually I can feign interest in the other person through good eye contact and frequent "mm-hmm"ing, but this German guy was actually pretty interesting. Then, I came to realize that I enjoy the company of old people and hearing their stories (much more than people in my own age range), possibly just because they lived fuller (usu. hard-knock) lives, thus having cooler stories.

I should probably listen to my grandma more; She's a needy, sometimes demanding lady, but I don't blame her (plus she's quite delightful and lovable most of the time). Not only my grandma- but all of our grandparents- need some good lovin'. I don't mean to preach, but our generation of spoiled brats need to realize how good we have it compared to our forefathers. I was watching the Korean news yesterday, and I caught the segment of the Korean families that were separated during the Korean War. For Chuseok (a Korean traditional holiday), these families will finally be reunited for a day; there were clips of families embracing each other and just bawling on the floor together. They weren't really saying anything, but just wailing each other names over and over again... "Jinwoo-yah!!!" "Mi-sook-ahh!" Ironically, I guess there isn't much to say after being separated for decades... All you can do is hug and cry. According to my mom, not all the families were so fortunate, and these reunited families were picked through an exclusive lottery system. One South Korean man who wasn't chosen, was so disappointed that he committed suicide. This made me die a little inside.