Spending a Blissful Moment Basking in the Sun on the Veranda | Yasuo Takagi (Dean, Graduate School of Health Management)

2011.01.13

A story is told of a Japanese newspaper reporter who asked an old man, sitting leisurely on a park bench in England all day, "Aren't you lonely?" The old man is said to have replied, "Listen here, young man. I've lived more than twice as long as you. I have plenty of things to remember." Apparently, the reporter thought, "What a stubborn old man, just putting on a brave face." But we must not forget that he should also reflect on his own tactless meddling with an old man who was simply relaxing in the park. As we enter an aging society, we will be surrounded by elderly people for whom every day is a Sunday. If we were to worry about each and every one of them, we wouldn't be able to cope. In fact, we should not ask how they spend their days off, which is a matter of utmost privacy. Having finally been freed from the yoke of corporate life after retirement, it is probably best to let them be, unless they approach us first.

The same reporter, upon visiting a nursing home in England, met an elderly woman who was completing a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle by adding just two pieces each day. She reportedly said with delight, "My grandchildren will give me another puzzle for my birthday next year." As a diligent Japanese person, I would undoubtedly stay up all night with bloodshot eyes and finish it in two days. This attitude of slowly passing the time with an eye on her next birthday is something I would like to emulate.

Now, if someone were to ask me, "You have the whole day off tomorrow. So, what will you do?" I would answer, "I'll spend the day basking in the sun on the veranda." It would be nice to have some delicious tea and Toraya'syokanbeside me, with a sweet and sourumeboshiplum gently placed next to them. A holiday where I leisurely read the newspaper, then move on to a book I've started, with reports from agricultural correspondents on NHK radio playing in the background. The warm sun shines down, a moment of solitary bliss. If my nagging wife were to come and say, "You should go out once in a while!" it would be a dream of sorts to have passed away in that sunny spot.

(Published: 2011/01/13)