It was unexpected. An hour of travel when we thought we’d just be finishing our drive from Berkeley to San Diego, bringing our oldest home from his 3rd year in college. But our son was set on having sushi and he wanted it in Little Tokyo. We were initially thinking the revolving sushi restaurant but it was a 2 hour wait. But honestly, the place we ate at was excellent and more importantly we experienced an hour of real delight.
It was really a sidequest, as our son called it.
Cute souvenirs.
And we bough the cutest matching souvenirs. Mine is the one in a bee.
The most fun was walking through the crowd in just a completely different part of California, that we never knew existed. The parking was $15 in the lot across the main part of Little Tokyo and it was 100% worth it! We will definitely be back! The family wants to go to Universal Studios together.
We still have more than 3 months until our youngest goes to college, but I’m absolutely wallowing. I’m wallowing in the pit of boredom and life is not interesting. There is no more college updates about her class. There is no more dress fittings and major photo shoots (we have one more). There is no more drama about college (although that was exhausting). We are in a peaceful lull now. She’s done with all but one AP test and will finish her high school academic career strong with all top marks. I think she only ever got one A-? And she’ll be off to Harvard at the end of the summer.
I’ll wallow but I’ll wallow and drag this wonderful last summer out. She’ll still be here and it’s been healing seeing her healthy and happy with her accomplishments. She’s finally having some fun. And fun for a former preemie raised the way she is raised, is going to the craft store and fabric painting shirts for her friends. She’s running in the morning, and taking walks to the beach and sometimes I’m invited. She made focaccia bread and had funny stories about her homeroom teacher taking the last few ones in a tupperware to share with the other teachers. Her focaccia bread is THAT GOOD. We had some for dinner last night and relishing each piece. She’s giggling with her friends about doing “hot girl pilates” and working out with her high school friends, as they prepare for adulthood and college.
She’s missing her older brother who will be home soon. And she’ll finally be stress-free and enjoy his boisterousness because he’s a big personality.
And she’s healthy and alive. While I was wallowing a few days ago, she turned to me and said “mommy what are you going to do when I’m gone? You love me too much. What if I die?” And I confidently turned to her and said “you didn’t die, and you are alive” and each day is a gift with you. I never take anything for granted these days. Each breathe is a blessing.
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone! Especially to all the mothers out there that I’m your actual or spiritual pediatrician. You deserve a WONDERFUL FANTASTIC SUSTAINABLE MOTHER’S DAY! Your pediatrician is cheering you and your children and your family on! I’m a bit self-serving though since your family keeps me employed!
I realized today is a big day, or an important Mother’s Day because I am done with my mothering of minor children. Our last child turned 18 before Mother’s Day and is now officially an adult. I know we never finish mothering, and I hope to be at some point in the next 10-15 years to be grand-mothering. I will of course continue doctoring and pediatrician-engineering (or is it pediatric-practicing?). But it’s a major milestone to finish raising minor children as a working pediatrician mother.
THAT WAS HARD!!! Trying to figure out work schedule with another physician parent with two minor children WAS NOT EASY! We had to leave Boston/Harvard and find a more manageable system, so landed back in San Diego where we had more family and enrolled them in prep school. We had to combine our household with my in-laws (and we happily have a three generation household now) so that everyone could take care of each other. We had to sit and coordinate call schedules, and I can’t tell you the number of times I almost quit. There were times things were so stressful that I wasn’t sure if we as a family would make it out on the other side of raising children, intact. It was super frustrating shipping my kids to relatives during school holidays or enrolled in another camp so that I could work and adhere to the rules of our organization. It was not easy and I look at the younger physicians in our office, and know it is super difficult for them and they don’t have as much support as we both had. I’m usually open hearted but this is my blog and an emotional journal of my climate and health journey, and I can just say here honestly – PHEW! I’m DONE! Good luck to you guys! LOL. It wasn’t easy and I don’t want to ever repeat the stress of the last 18 years when they were sick, hospitalized, college application season, emergency funerals where the grandparents had to suddenly go to Korea and on and on and on. I remember when Mr. Plastic Picker had back surgery and I wasn’t sure if we would be able to continue with the kids schooling without his income, and thought of so many alternatives. It was upsetting to me that I had to first figure out finances and not get to worry about my own husband’s health. He figured out his own health, as I sat and made contingency plans financially. It all worked out but it was stressful.
Now the children are 18 and healthy, and admitted or enrolled in good colleges. Their college accounts are fully funded, so they will be college-educated. And everything else is icing on the cake, and they have health insurance until 26. We did our duty, and I have finished my mothering of minor children. I told them both they need to get jobs and health coverage by 26. I expect both to go to graduate school.
Now I’ll just try to save the earth, which honestly will be much easier than mothering minor children. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone! Isn’t she cute? And she doesn’t want to be a mother yet – THANK GOODNESS! And it’s her choice. I’ve evolved in my thinking. I LOVED being a mother, but you can have a fulfilling life without being a mother. It’s less stressful and easier, and it’s a choice.
I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot, the feeling of awkwardness. Relationship awkwardness mostly. Doing climate work and really trying to help get things done, has involved me meeting a lot of new people, new personalities and pushing myself to accomplish new things. New projects. New partners. New ideas. And putting the climate and the environment at the center has required personally growing, and redefining myself – and also growing closer to who I was originally in my purest form as a child. Being joyful and productive, this is something that comes naturally to toddlers and children! I’ve gotten to know so many people at different levels and learned how to have productive relationships with them, and also learning how to draw appropriate boundaries. It’s all led to this reoccurring concept in my daily life that it’s all just very AWKWARD.
And I’m okay with this. Sometimes people text you things that make me angry and sad, and I ignore it and things are just left hanging. Sometimes people cross personal boundaries, and it gets incredibly awkward because we aren’t really family.
I think it’s due to change. As one person changes, the others around them have to accommodate or make way for that growth – and there is that awkward stage. Eventually the relationship can continue and you can grow together, or it can remain awkward. Awkward is that in-betweenness in a relationship. It’s that pause that each other is not sure how the other one is going to move. The moment seems so long, but it’s brief. But that mindfulness of that moment and how incredibly long and AWKWARD it feels , is really interesting to me.
So if you are feeling AWKWARD. That’s okay. That’s a completely valid feeling! It means someone is changing and growing in a relationship, and sometimes others have to step back and let it happen. It can feel lonely at times. It can feel awkward.
I appreciate all the time our speakers spent speaking at our H3SD 2025 Summit last year. We are in the midst of planning of H3SD 2026. I got to tell two captivated UCSD students the true origins from my point of view of the original summit at the Starbucks at Price Center and why I’m a Muir Provost Innovation Fellow. LOL. But it’s my take on the last few years, and just my perspective. But like your own children, these are my own students who belong to UCSD Revelle college, and I’m allowed to have my own perspective on events. That was super fun! My two students were so enthralled in my made up drama, but they are also doing real climate work through their UCSD Academic Internship with us.
They are officially interns through the American Academy of Pediatrics and Kaiser Permanente. This years internship has been so fun, and I’ve gotten to know the students better. I met with two separately yesterday and these are young kids struggling through midterms and academic stress. So it was good just to sit and listen to them share their stresses with classes. They are going to do great! I really want to give them a little gift bag after they complete their internships maybe get some free swag from AAP and from Kaiser? I’ll ask! It never hurts to ask!
Otherwise I’m oddly tired today. I did do a lot of walking last night and fell straight to sleep. I’ll try to walk at lunch today. Our 18 year old (OMG I can’t believe she is 18 already!) was up late last night making yummy short bread cookies for her last Library Ambassadors meeting at school. She’s president! She is packing me 6 cookies to split between the 3 nurses that I made gift bags for. It’s nurses week and it’s honestly been fun but nonstop eating in our clinic. I’ve been good and partaking just a bit, because it’s actually not the best-for-your-health food. But I’m present and enjoying everyone’s company mostly while drinking my tea. I did have a yummy KFC biscuit and 1 drumstick that was warmed up in the air fryer by Leilani one of our nurses. It was really yummy! I also had a sausage patty one morning, and there were nachos several times. OMG, nurses week needs to end! LOL. I have to give 3 wonderful nurses their gift bags. Nurses Week was a bit disorganized this year, but it all works out. Everyone gave out of love. I’m trying to show love through bookstore purchases! I think our nurses are going to love our gifts!
That’s it! I just wanted to remind myself to send out the H3SD 2025 video links!
Did you watch the movie Independence Day? This actually happened. The collapse of the North Atlantic Current. Europe and Northern parts of the United States were plummeted into an Ice Age. A band of young kids had to trek across the frozen tundra of the new world to rejoin loved ones. And now on CNN and on my Instagram feed, there is climate scientists data that everything is accelerating and that it will happen sooner than we thought.
Which is why I am saying no to the semi-annoying person who contacted me about a book offer? I’m honestly not even sure if that offer is legitimate. But I don’t have time to write a book, or let him ghost write a book for me or about me. I have things to do. Like climate work to do.
As a mother, what I know is that this catastrophic event will happen within my old child’s lifetime. So I have to do everything in my maternal power to stop or delay this. So I’m saying no to the book offer, because that book will just be put in the bargain book bin anyway at some point. I don’t have that big of an ego, to think my life deserves the time required to write a book. A blogpost, maybe?
But there is so much climate work to do. I have to send several emails about the Tijuana Sewage Crisis. Did you know that you can see the Tijuana Sewage Pollution from SPACE? Geez Louise people! It’s really bad. Can you imagine being a blue whale and swimming near that gunk! It’s not good for anyone or any-animal. I need to email the San Diego County Medical Magazine about two articles the H3SD organizing committee wants to write, one re AI and one re One Health Concept. I have to write a letter of recommendation for a deserving student who is working on two big projects that we have going on. And I have to start commenting on an article regarding fast fashion. See lots of writing and reading, just not a self glorifying book about myself. The entire point of this blog is to try to help stop the climate crisis, while still working as a pediatrician and mothering my children.
Being a mother is really powerful. I really don’t want to imagine my children being grandparents themselves and living through the collapse of the North Atlantic Current and the world plunged into the next ice age!
Beautiful vessel she created. I don’t want her to be cold.
Feel free to go to the Harvardclass30 Instagram account and like the post from our daughter! I’m trying to help her get 200 likes and she’s at 147, which isn’t bad – since she’s an introvert. There is one very extroverted Harvard San Diego bound new friend who is at 600!
But all kidding aside, I was going to blog about being OK WITH AWKWARD. But I got distracted by my own daughter’s pretty picture. I’m sure you are as well distracted by your child’s toddler cuteness or prom pictures as well. The more I indulge myself on my blog, the more open-hearted and loving I can be in clinic and with my premedical and medical students. They are all doing really well by the way! Two more students were admitted to medical school! They were the two students who worked on transgender education and awareness, and given the current state of the world, I’m SUPER PROUD OF THEM! They essentially created their own premedical advocacy opportunity and were collaborative and supportive of each other. I just re-read their letters of recommendations, and am filled with peace as these two immensely qualified students will help care for our community and dedicate their lives to clinical medicine. They are truly wonderful.
I have to write another letter of recommendation for a very qualified and eager student. They’ve worked tirelessly for the last two years on several projects and was one of my official students in the UCSD Academic Internship Program, so I am happy to write that letter and it will be very easy.
But back to my Introvert. I just wanted to show you her pretty picture and let the blog readership know that she finally posted on the Harvard Class of 2030 Instagram account, which makes everything so Instagram real – not reels.
Sometimes when something big happens to one person in the family, it prompts the next person in the family to shift and make decisions and another big thing happens. After our youngest was admitted and decided to attend Harvard, it was like a puzzle piece was fitted in and the next puzzle piece needed to be fitted. My father-in-law decided with his children to finally sell the Yun family home to a non-Yun relative – and end the last financial and property ties to the country they voluntary emigrated more than 40 years ago.
He just left for the airport with Mr. Plastic Picker (his son), and he will fly to his home country and see siblings and friends and sign important paperwork transferring the last asset. His wife, my mother-in-law, is sad because her husband is gone for a week. It’s been complicated thinking of this last tie to South Korea, but it came to a good conclusion. The children and grandchildren were involved or at least considered in the decision. As the daughter-in-law, it was very interesting watching my Korean American inlaws decide and discuss. The property is not worth that much, but it stands on the ancestral home but it’s now a nondescript semi-modern four story building. I’ve only seen it once, when we visited after our wedding and I met my grandmother-in-law. It was a brief weekend stay, and she was very kind to me. I was the Harvard-trained almost doctor who married her beloved grandson, who was raised in the US and only saw her a handful of times after they emigrated. This grandmother prayed nightly to have a grandson for years. And that grandson was born, and emigrated and went to Harvard and became a doctor. I don’t know too much about this elder, but I do know that her love for this particular grandchild (my husband) was fierce and unconditional.
My husband feels great relief at this decision. The children feel it’s the right thing to do, as they don’t have any emotional ties to this home that they have never seen. I wish my father-in-law had his own blog and could write in a language I fully understood, and tell us about his adventures this week relinquishing his childhood home. Everyone is the main character is their own storyline, and his is one filled with hardship, trauma, perseverance and triumph. Of all the people on this earth, I admire and love my father-in-law so fundamentally. It’s been one of the bright spots in my life to have been lucky enough to be his daughter-in-law and be comfortable together, and living as a family unit with the same goals and values.
In his bag to South Korea, be brought a Harvard Family button. The one they gave us as Visitas. He deserves to take credit for all the hard-work that he has put into raising his grandchildren. He’s going on his victory lap back home. And that makes me so happy.
