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Thank you for everything until now. Today, I will bring this to an end.

2026年4月1日 05:09

After writing over 2,000 articles,
there was a morning when I suddenly stopped.
Today, I will bring this to an end.

──It all began with just a whim.

Leaving words behind.
Creating some white space.
Without knowing if they would reach anyone,
I just kept on writing.

Before I knew it, the days had piled up,
the numbers had grown,
and I had become,“someone who keeps going”in my own way.

──But, there was a time I thought,

perhaps it is time to finish my role.

I had always wanted to be of use to someone.
To make their hearts feel a little lighter.
To leave something behind in their hearts, even if just a single drop.

However, as I continued,
I also felt a sense of slowly wearing down.

Days that felt like tracing the same spot over and over.
Believing that I was still moving forward,
perhaps I was just pretending not to notice.

──I think that’s enough. I’ve reached my limit.

When I thought that,
my eyes suddenly caught a corner of the bathroom sink.

There it was,
a toothbrush, worn out from years of use.

Its bristles were frayed,
and it had already fulfilled its original purpose well enough.

Even so, somehow unable to throw it away,
it had just stayed there.

──Ah, I thought, we are similar.

Working every day for someone else,
before you know it, your own shape changes little by little.

Even so, you think somewhere,
“maybe it can still be used.”

But, in truth—
perhaps it is okay to move on to the next role.

Yes, this is

a story about a toothbrush worn out from years of use.

──And at the same time,
it is also a little bit about me.

Letting go is not an end.
It is a time to say
“thank you” to something that has finished its role.

So today,
I think I will say this to this toothbrush.