[03]What do you move your body for?

Dear grandson,

I heard you’ve started learning to dance recently—how exciting!

They say dancing helps you express your thoughts and feel connected to something beyond yourself. What made you want to begin?

Since we're on the topic of movement, I thought today I'd share a few thoughts about what it means to move our bodies. You see, sometimes two people may look like they're doing the same thing—but if you look closely at why they're doing it, the meaning behind their actions can be completely different.

It's all about purpose.

Let me give you an example.

A carpenter on a film set and a carpenter working in someone’s home—they’re both called carpenters. They both hammer, saw wood, measure things…But their work is actually quite different.

The set carpenter builds things to look good on camera. It needs to be finished quickly, easy to take down, and visually striking. But the interior carpenter is building something that needs to last—sturdy, practical, and safe for long-term use.

Same tools. Same title.

But because the purpose is different, the materials, methods, and even the way decisions are made become very different too.

That’s the way work goes—its nature changes depending on its goal.

Most of the time, especially in jobs, we don’t get to do exactly what we want.

We’re usually helping someone else—solving a need, fulfilling a request, meeting certain conditions.

And when you get paid for it, that comes with a kind of responsibility.

It means someone has placed their trust in you, and expects you to deliver.

Even so, some people find meaning in what they do.

Even when the tasks are repetitive, they choose to give their work a personal reason—a story, a value, something that matters to them. And that makes it more than just labor.

It becomes part of a life they're shaping with their own hands.

And you know what?Dancing is not so different from that.

In both dancing and carpentry, your body is your instrument.

And when your body is your tool, taking care of it becomes essential.

Your knees, your shoulders, your back, your wrists— even a small injury can stop everything.

Dancers have to understand how their muscles work, how their weight shifts,

how to move in a way that flows—not just to look good, but to avoid injury.

Carpenters are the same. Precision, rhythm, control—all from the body.

Yes, physical work can be tiring.

But there’s also a deep satisfaction that comes from creating something with your hands and your body. Something a machine still can’t quite replace.

We humans—we were meant to move. Movement is part of who we are.

So I wonder, Taeho: What’s the difference between moving to dance and moving to work?

And what’s the same?

What feelings or thoughts come up for you when you do each?

And looking ahead—what kind of work do you hope to do one day?

What do you want it to feel like—for you, and for others?

I suppose what I’m really asking is: Where do you feel your direction, through your own movement?

It’s a long letter, I know. But as I worked quietly in the set shop today, these thoughts passed through me like music.

Stay healthy, take care of your body, and always keep moving to the rhythm that feels true to you.

With love,

Grandpa