📖 INTRODUCTION
Sometimes the people we initially dislike the most become the people who change our lives the most.
First impressions, misunderstandings, jealousy, irritation, and emotional distance can easily shape how we view others.
But when a person genuinely changes from within, the energy of their relationships can completely transform as well.
This meditation testimonial shares the story of Young L., an office worker who once strongly disliked her older female senior from college and work.
To her, the senior seemed selfish, immature, attention-seeking, and difficult to live with.
Their conflicts grew even more while sharing dormitories and apartments together.
But after her senior began meditation, Young L. gradually witnessed an unexpected transformation.
Her senior became kinder.
More considerate.
More sincere.
More emotionally warm and understanding.
Over time, the relationship that once felt uncomfortable and exhausting slowly became one of trust, comfort, and emotional support.
Eventually, Young L. herself became curious about meditation and discovered something she had always struggled with internally: the inability to truly live in the present moment.
As she learned to let go of endless thoughts, worries, emotional exhaustion, and distractions through meditation, her mind became calmer, her focus improved dramatically, and for the first time she says she began feeling genuine happiness.
This meditation testimonial beautifully shows how inner change can transform relationships, emotional connection, trust, work efficiency, and even the way we experience everyday life.
💬 Meditation Testimonial: “My ‘Princess-Type’ Senior Became Like a Mom”
By Young L. | Office Worker
I first met my senior in college through our university animation club.
She was one year older than me.
To be honest, my first impression of her was not very positive.
She seemed overly self-centered, attention-seeking, and especially close only with male students. She had what people in Korea often call a “princess personality.”
At the time, she honestly felt difficult to like.
😤 “She Constantly Annoyed Me”
Later, we both joined the same game company and ended up living together in the company dormitory.
That was when my irritation toward her really grew.
She rarely helped with shared chores like cleaning or washing dishes.
Even when everyone else stayed late to work, she often left early by herself.
One incident especially stayed in my memory.
She loved cooking but kept piling dirty dishes in the sink for so long that maggots actually appeared.
I was horrified.
I remember pouring boiling water over them while angrily washing the dishes myself.
At that moment, I truly disliked her.
🌀 But Fate Kept Bringing Us Together
Eventually the company experienced financial difficulties, and we both left our jobs.
After moving to Seoul, rent was expensive, so we ended up sharing an apartment together again.
Even then, many things still bothered me.
She seemed to do fewer household chores than I did.
Sometimes she even brought her boyfriend home late at night, singing loudly while I tried to sleep.
Naturally, when she first told me she had started meditation practice, I had absolutely no interest in it.
Because honestly…
I did not even like her very much.
🌱 “Can a Person Really Change This Much?”
But little by little, something about her started changing.
She began cleaning voluntarily.
She cooked meals for me.
She genuinely took care of me.
For the first time, she actually felt like an older sister.
Whenever I casually opened up about something difficult, she listened sincerely.
Her advice comforted me more than I expected.
Then one day, she returned from a week-long meditation retreat in Nonsan.
And I was shocked.
Her eyes looked bright and peaceful.
She even looked physically prettier somehow.
I remember thinking:
“Does meditation really change people like this?”
Slowly, I began depending on her emotionally.
💖 “She Felt Like a Mother”
Eventually she got married and moved out.
And strangely, her absence suddenly felt huge.
Whenever life became difficult, I found myself calling her.
“Unni, do you have time?”
No matter what, she always came to listen to me.
Normally, I was very prideful.
With most friends, I only showed polished, successful sides of myself.
But with her, I somehow felt safe enough to reveal everything honestly.
Because I trusted that she would understand me completely.
Almost like a mother.
🌿 “I Want to Change Like You”
One day, I finally confessed to her:
“Unni… I think I need to start meditation too.”
There had always been one thing I deeply wanted:
To truly live in the present moment.
Even while working, my mind constantly wandered somewhere else — thinking about my boyfriend, dreaming about travel, worrying about the future.
I realized I had never actually lived fully in the present.
But as I practiced meditation and gradually released the endless noise inside my mind, my thoughts became quieter.
My mind felt calmer.
For the first time, I could truly focus on what I was doing right now.
And surprisingly, my work efficiency increased two or three times.
“Living completely immersed in the present moment felt unbelievably happy.”
☀️ “I Wasn’t Actually Happy Before”
Friends often tell me:
“You’ve always been cheerful.
What did you even need to let go of?”
But honestly, that bright image was only external.
Inside, my mind had always been crowded with endless thoughts and emotional exhaustion.
Now, however, I can sincerely say:
“I’m really happy.”
And she says she will always remain grateful to the senior who helped guide her there.
At the end, she leaves her older friend with these words:
“Soon-mi unni, you truly changed completely.
You always wish for my happiness more than anyone else.
You’re seriously amazing.
Thank you so much.” ♡
