A New Cycle from the Past “Okay, sure! But I haven’t been active at all lately. I’m not sure I’ll be much help.” “No worries, no worries! If you’re coming, it’ll be a huge boost for us. Everyone will be thrilled!” The cheerful voice on the speakerphone belonged to the captain of my high school baseball team. Apparently, their weekend casual baseball game was short on players, and they’d asked me to fill in. “Got it. I’ve got plans in the afternoon, but as long as it wraps up in the morning, I’m fine. I’ll be at the field by […]
Listening to the Voice of Childhood I was momentarily transfixed by the message from Okane-san displayed on my smartphone screen. “The answer might lie with your inner child.” Inner child? It was the first time I’d heard the term. I didn’t fully grasp its meaning, but something about it resonated with me. Before I knew it, I was typing a reply. “What is the inner child? I’ve never heard of it.” “The inner child is the ‘you’ from your childhood that lives in your heart,” Okane-san explained. “It’s the emotions of joy and sadness you once felt, emotions that weren’t […]
Memories in a Gift The department store was livelier than usual on a weekend. Families with children, couples, and fashionably dressed students carrying shopping bags filled the floor. The vibrant energy was palpable, and it gave an unexplainable bounce to my step. Having successfully purchased a Mother’s Day gift, she seemed relieved and immediately began browsing for her own interests. It was typical of her to get absorbed in shopping, and I braced myself for a potentially dull stretch of time. But today, I decided to take preemptive action. “I’m hungry. Let’s grab lunch somewhere.” Her eyes lit up at […]
The Stirring of a Dream The blazing sunlight poured down as the scent of dust lingered in the air. In front of me, all the bases were loaded, the situation tense. Amid the swirl of pressure and expectation, I stepped up to the plate, my heart pounding as the cheers around me echoed. That’s when it happened. A voice from behind made me turn. My teammates on the bench were shouting something, but I couldn’t make out the words. The umpire called impatiently, “Step into the batter’s box!” In that moment, I realized—I didn’t have my bat. Panicking, I started […]
A New Flow Born of Trust I stared at my monitor. Things were progressing so smoothly, I could hardly believe it. The emails from the client representative were now filled with precise and accurate instructions, and the team was delivering high-quality results one after another. “I can’t believe it’s going this well…” The project was moving along as effortlessly as a boat caught in a favorable current. The stagnant situation of just a few days ago felt like a distant memory. If my past self could see this, he would surely be amazed. Before I knew it, the delivery day […]
A Guide to True Trust I stared at the message from Okane-san displayed on my phone, feeling a faint sense of unease as I typed out my reply. “What does it mean to build trust with yourself? Isn’t trust all about believing in others?” “That’s a natural way to think about it. Trusting others is indeed an essential part of trust. But, true trust begins with your relationship with yourself.” With myself? That phrase left me puzzled, prompting me to send another message. “What do you mean by starting with yourself???” “Yes, with yourself. If you can’t trust yourself, it’s […]
A Question to Myself “Hello, how’s it going?” The moment I heard her voice, a sense of relief washed over me. Her tone was casual and light, yet it carried an inexplicable warmth that always calmed my heart. “How’s work? Going smoothly?” Her simple question seemed to unlock a flood of emotions within me. “Honestly, things are a complete mess right now…” The schedule was falling behind, the team’s anxiety was building, the project manager’s vague instructions were adding to the confusion, and on top of it all, the client was being unreasonably demanding. Once I started talking, I couldn’t […]
The Invisible Wall “How many times do I have to say this…?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. The frustration boiling inside me found its way into my fingers, making the sound of my typing on the keyboard harsher with every keystroke. “Please confirm once again at your earliest convenience.” There it was, the same canned phrase I’d written countless times before. I’d lost count of how many times I’d sent it. They must be as tired of reading it as I was of typing it. This project had started just last month. When the account manager […]
The Beginning of Hope and Circulation A distant vibration echoes in the background, faint but persistent. Somewhere within the fog of half-consciousness, the sound becomes clearer. It’s the alarm on my smartphone. Time to get up. Even though I stayed up late last night, I feel surprisingly refreshed. The weight that once dragged at the pit of my stomach has lifted, leaving my entire body feeling light. Afterward, I spent more time confronting my anxiety with Okane-san. It wasn’t an easy process, but curiously, I found myself more at ease, with space to breathe. The “Chain Letter of Misfortune” dream […]
The Door to Facing Anxiety I picked up my phone and opened the app. As soon as I saw the message from Okane-san on the screen, a small spark of excitement began to rise. Warmth slowly spread through my chest. “What does it mean to face anxiety? You mentioned before that anxiety is a sign, right?” “To face anxiety means not trying to force it away or avoid it. For example, ask yourself where that anxiety comes from. Questions like, ‘What am I afraid of?’ or ‘What is truly bothering me?’ can help.” “When I said ‘anxiety is a sign,’ […]
