The First Step: Let's Meet in Person to Say "Thank You."

It didn't come across through the screen. So, I went to meet them in person.

When you have a chance to meet after a long time,
do you just settle for doing it online or via LINE?

Using busyness or distance as an excuse,
we think, "Maybe next time is fine."

But in reality,
isn't there someone you really want to meet and talk to properly?

First of all, to everyone who participated in the event:
thank you so much.
I was deeply moved by witnessing so many "first steps"!

My own first step was choosing to go meet people in person rather than online.

I am studying at Globis Business School,
and at first, I chose the online option.
Balancing family and work, with a one-way commute of an hour and a half.
No matter how I looked at it, online was the right answer.

Even so, a sense of discomfort remained.
I could understand the material, but it didn't sink in.
The feeling that "something is missing" wouldn't go away.

The reason is simple: it's hard for "empathy" to develop online.

That's why I decided to go meet them in person.

Three hours round trip. Traveling after work.
I hesitated many times, but I went anyway.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, everything changed.

Expressions, pauses, nods, laughter.
There is an exchange there that goes beyond words.

Even though it's the same content,
it comes across as something completely different.

I thought, "Ah, this is it."

People communicate with each other directly more than we realize.

On the way home, I suddenly thought:
Isn't it the same for saying "thank you"?

I live apart from my parents now. That is exactly why I want to tell them.

But saying "thank you" can be embarrassing.
It feels like you should be able to say it, but you just can't.

That is exactly why.

What matters is meeting in person to say it.

Some things can be conveyed through a screen.
But there are things that are conveyed in an instant when you meet.

If you are even a little hesitant, start small.

And then, beyond that.

Go and see the people who matter to you.

That one step will change your relationship just a little.