~ A Shower To Reset The Mind, A Cry For The Heart. ~

Heartwork - 10.06.2020

“needing the type of hug where you bury your head in their shoulder and they just hold you tight and there’s this mutual need to keep holding on.” - @constellatedlove

‘Hotel Del Luna’ Showed Me That Sometimes, You Get To Choose Who You Call ‘Family’

I wasn't ready to see IU on screen. I wasn't ready for that killer walk in a purple high-slight gown with a rifle in hand. I wasn't ready either for a drama world filled with magic, humor and sass. But it happened and there I already adding 'Hotel Del Luna' to my 're-watch' and 'favorites' lists.

The Story:

The story commences with Jang Man Wol, a 1000-year-old woman for whom the flow of time has stopped. As a manager of 'Hotel Del Luna' (a pit-stop for souls to rest and move on from the earthly realm to afterlife), Man Wol is snooty, obsessed with money, high-end fashion and the latest cars.

In comes Koo Chan Sung, a Forbes-listed hotelier who's bound by a curse to work for Del Luna and hence, he comes to be the 99th caretaker (private secretary) of Jang Man Wol.

We now enter the world of spirits and their stories that deal with our deep attachment to the past, need for revenge, the beauty of letting go and the very scientific bearings of karma. These are wonderfully conveyed in the drama through humor, sensitivity and wisdom.

The hotel staff consists of 3 primary ghosts: Kim Sun Bi, a misunderstood Joseon scholar with a tainted name, Choi Seo Hee, a wronged mother seeking vengeance and Ji Hyun Joong, a brother who is waiting to step into the afterlife with his still-living baby sister.

What I loved:

~ Man Wol's potty mouth + impeccable wardrobe + kind heart 🎃 ~ Beautiful stories of spirits' healing  🎃 ~ The bubbly deity Ma Go Shin and the superbly deadpan Grim Reaper Sa Shin 🎃 ~ The interplay between past and present of each character's story 🎃 ~ Korean mythology and magic 🎃 ~ Man Wol & Goo Chan Sung's love 🎃

Learnings:

1. "Do not judge a book by its cover."

The saying particularly fits Man Wol's character which on the surface, seems selfish and self-centered but actually houses a lot of compassion and justice within. With every episode, through Koo Chan Sung, we come across various layers of Man Wol's personality which seem otherwise absent. This taught me to look beyond what I perceive people to be and allow myself the chance to really know them.

2. Choosing what's best for the one you love is an act of deep courage.

This is my favorite part of Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung's connection. They choose what is the best for the person they love and help them bloom into the best versions of who they are. While it seems like the obvious thing to do, it is far from easy but this is exactly why true love is termed 'selfless'.

3. And while you're here, live. Do not simply exist.  Time and time again, whether it is through the stories of the ghosts or through Man Wol, I learned the power of living each day to the fullest. Which includes lots of laughter, walking your own path, ticking of that wish-list of dreams and loving people deeply.

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GIF Credits: | GIF 1: Quora | GIF 2: @foriu​ | GIF 4: J’Marei, Soompi | GIF 5:  Shine Smile | GIF 6: Bir Otakunun Dunyasi | GIF 7: Tumblr | GIF 8: Aghasewatchtv | GIF 9: Giphy | GIF 10: El Blog de Wendy

~ Dear joy, thank you for quiet, persistent whisperings. ~ 🌼

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~ notes from everyday ~

~ Meguru and Yori constantly inspire each other to be better people. Even though Meguru feels like the wiser one, Yori has a quiet strength to her.  She may not speak her musings out loud, but her actions display her experience and wisdom consistently. I find her a reliable anchor in the relationship she shares with Meguru--- someone he can share and learn from at the same time.~🌞

“How your life feels is more important than how it looks.” - homebody club.

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| Passport Journal |

~ From my experience with being indecisive for the smallest of things, I’ve come to know that it is the root cause of loop thinking. Often, this could be negative in nature. 

But once I decide, once I choose to make a choice, the wave of thoughts subsides, leaving the mind calmer, more still. Choosing to decide, sooner than later, thus, can elevate a lot of worry, inner confusion, and irritation, self-caused by my mind.~✨

~ Sometimes courage is listening to that quiet, inner voice rather than the hundred loud ones surrounding you. ~ 🌼

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©anvidoshi

~ I will take it slow today and reset my heart and mind. On the days when time feels too hard to catch hold off, a mindful breath, a few hours at my desk, writing my thoughts, making things with paper, all of these are like little gifts to myself 🌸 ~

Sometime last year, a post of @galadarling said, "You are not stuck. You are choosing not to choose." . This hit home. . I was in a rut, in regards to a lot of aspects of my life. I kept telling myself "I don't know what to do" and I kept chanting that "I was stuck". . Slowly, on reflecting upon Gala's words, I realised, I wasn't stuck, I was choosing not to make a choice because I was afraid I would make the wrong ones. . But, I learnt that if you don't choose, you don't move forward and as hence, you stop yourself from growing. . So this year, I started to choose to choose. I am learning to become "unstuck" one choice at a time. . For anyone who needs to hear this today: make a choice. Even if it turns out to be a terrible one. Because despite the bad result, you are at least moving, you are at least learning and you are at least willing to choose a direction. Sometimes, that's all it takes to come unstuck.🌼