humans-of-seoul:

“The first report card I ever brought to my parents was from my college entrance exam. My parents had never asked to see my report card before. I never even heard them telling me to study. Instead they told me to meet and experience a lot of people. When I was a freshman in high school, I partook in a broadcasting club. But while I was taking a part of that organization, my grades dropped quite low. My homeroom teacher found out and I guess she thought that for my grades, it would be best to quit the broadcasting club. So she called my mom and asked her to come to the school for a meeting. My teacher sat my mom down, and told her I would be better off if she had sent me to after school classes, got me a tutor, and pushed me to quit the broadcasting club to focus on my academics and sort of scolded my mom asking her why she didn’t do that. My mom listened to all of that and asked in return, ‘You also have children, right? They don’t grow as you please, do they?’… and she left.”

“제가 초, 중 고등학교를 다니면서 처음으로 부모님께 갖다 드린 성적표가 수능 성적표였어요. 부모님께서 성적표를 달란 얘기를 단 한번도 안 하셨거든요. 어렸을 때부터 공부하란 소리는 한 번도 안 들어보고 자랐어요. 그 대신 사람들을 많이 만나보고 경험해보라고 하셨죠. 제가 고 1때 방송반을 들어갔었거든요. 근데 방송반하면서 성적이 너무 많이 떨어진 거예요. 담임 선생님이 그걸 아시고는 제 성적을 위해서 방송반에서 탈퇴시켜야 한다고 생각을 하셨나 봐요. 그래서 제 엄마한테 전화를 걸어 학교로 오시라고 하셨대요. 엄마를 앉혀 놓고는, 학원도 좀 보내고, 과외도 좀 시키고, 방송반에서 탈퇴 시키고, 공부만 시키면 충분히 잘할 애인데 왜 안 그러시냐며 훈계를 하셨대요. 엄마가 그걸 가만 듣고 계시다가 이렇게 되물으셨대요. ‘선생님 자녀 있으시죠? 그 자녀분이 어디 마음대로 되던가요?’라고… 그리고 그냥 집에 오셨대요.”

malformalady:

While on safari in Africa, on the Okavango Delta, Botswana photographing
wildlife, this leopard had made a kill and brought it to her cub high
in a tree. While her cub was safe feeding, she made her way back down
the tree through some heavy grass toward me with her head down. For a
brief moment she lifted her head and I was able to get the shot. Her
damaged eye did not effect her ability to hunt. After reviewing the shot
it was almost as if this magnificent cat had an eye on the Universe.

Photo credit and info: © Wayne Wetherbee