Today is my oldest child's fifth birthday. I launched KAEIU when he was born, which means KAEIU is also nearing its fifth birthday. How time flies.
Before my son was born, my sister, and mother of three, said something that has stayed with me ever since. She told me, "In Korea, they say that every child is born with their own bok", which roughly translates to fortune.
She shared this with me after I confessed how anxious and unready I felt to become a mother. At the time, I had decided not to return to work so I could pursue KAEIU. That meant our steady income and health insurance were coming to an end – and I was the primary breadwinner.
With that decision came sacrifices. For us, it meant giving up independence. We could no longer afford our apartment, so we subleased it to a friend and moved in with my in-laws. We went from having an entire home to a single room.
I cried so hard that first night. I held my baby on a mattress on the floor and wondered if we would ever have a place of our own again. I wondered what kind of bok this child had brought with him, as I was desperate for anything. In that moment, I felt I had made a big mistake.
Five years later, I can clearly see the bok he brought into our lives.
He brought with him the bok of home and community.
What was meant to be temporary became something lasting. My in-laws' apartment was large enough for all of us, and over time we settled into a beautiful rhythm. We have a symbiotic relationship. We benefit from extra adult eyes and care, and they benefit from the energy of two little ones racing through the house.
Their apartment is close to a playground, where I met many of the friends who now make up our neighborhood community. People who have shown up for us in ways I never could have imagined back then. What once felt like loss, revealed itself as a blessing.
They say your business is your baby. As KAEIU enters its fifth year, I find myself wondering: what bok was it born with?
I think that's a question I'll be reflecting on this year.
With love,
Maria