Lately, I haven’t been going outside much at all; just brief strolls with Dad around the library. I barely used my phone and didn’t check the weather or watch TV. So, I had no idea if it was hot outside. Dad seemed to be managing the heat, but strangely, I just felt continuously warm. I thought everything was fine since I wasn’t cold.
However, the kids, Taek-han and Geon-i, were really hot. “Hmm… I should have checked the heat sooner.” Regret washed over me belatedly. I saw the children struggling with the heat. Even with the air conditioner on full blast, they still seemed hot. I had no idea the air conditioner was broken. When my wife came home in the evening, she said the house was too hot. She also felt that something was wrong with the air conditioner. She said it seemed to have been broken for a few days. But I hadn’t known anything until then. I was just thinking I was comfortably warm.
The first issue was my body’s abnormality. After my brain injury, my body was always cold. That’s why, even when others felt hot, I felt comfortably warm. All through winter and spring, I was so, so cold. My body felt chilled, and my bones ached from the cold, so even a high indoor temperature felt just right for me. Other people’s heat wasn’t a big problem for me. I realize now, belatedly, that my body’s sensations were distorted.
The second issue was my failure to properly check on my children and wife. I thought everything was fine as long as I felt okay. Their discomfort didn’t register in my awareness. I failed to properly perceive the heat evident in their expressions and actions. It was a moment that clearly showed how much I was engrossed in myself, or how much my cognitive abilities had declined. A deep sense of self-reproach washed over me at the fact that I hadn’t even noticed the discomfort of my closest family.
Fortunately, the air conditioner was fixed. Often, when an air conditioner breaks down in the middle of summer, you have to wait several days, but thankfully, the technicians came and fixed it in just one day. For that, I am grateful. But my heart was so upset. And I worried deeply about my role as a family head. “Was I really this unprepared?” I felt disappointed and frustrated with myself.
My inability to do anything for my children when they were hot, and my insensitivity in not noticing my family’s discomfort, torment me. As the head of the family, I have a responsibility to protect and care for them, and the fact that I couldn’t even manage the most basic things plummets my self-esteem. I know all of this is due to the changes after my injury, but it’s harder to talk about because it sounds like an excuse. I’m just upset, sorry, and frustrated.
✅ Simple, Repetitive Word Practice – Speech Support (English)
- Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork Fork
- Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider Spider
- Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse
- Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg Egg
- Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog Hedgehog
- Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel Towel
- Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane Airplane
- Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice Dice
- Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
- Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax Ax
- Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat Cat
- Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet Wallet
- Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper Chili pepper
- Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher
- Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank Piggy bank