No One Writes Back

by Jang Eun-Jin

I dare say that in life, it is when we travel that our minds and hearts are the most open. It’s a time when we think more than at any other time in our lives.

You can always go back and take pictures, and buy as many souvenirs as you want. But the thoughts that come to you while you travel will not come back. When you go back, the feelings and sensations you have will no longer be the ones you had before.

Reading over a letter you wrote the night before is an act of denying yourself. When you read it over, you’re bound to find at least one or two sentences you want to erase, like a mistake you made in the past. I don’t think you need to be ashamed of them, since they’re symptoms that occurred because you were too true to your feelings, or because you were full of courage. If we don’t allow ourselves to have courage at night, at least, we’ll have to live as cowards all our lives.

Life is bearable when you have someone to write, and someone who writes you back. Even if it’s just one person.