Are We 'Time Travelers?' (February 4th)

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I must admit, this title is a bit embarrassing. I ended up coming up with a title that is overly poetic—or, to put it less kindly, intentionally catchy—like 'Time Traveler.'

If it lands well, then good. If it falls flat, I hope you'll laugh.
I invite you to the punchline, relying on my Kansai spirit (?), after all. 😅

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Have you ever accidentally forgotten your wristwatch?

Thanks to the time-telling devices provided at every destination—such as the clocks on station platforms that don't miss even a minute of delay, typical of Japanese railways, the clocks above meeting spots in concourses, and the large analog clocks hanging from ceilings—you don't immediately run into trouble even without a watch.

Even so, if I forget my watch at home and go out, I spend the whole day feeling unsettled.

Why do we feel so anxious and restless just because we aren't wearing a single wristwatch?

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In public facilities, starting with train stations, there is almost always some way to tell the time.
Besides, there's your smartphone, which is in your bag, your pocket, or right in your hand.
At times, it's a tool for work, used for emails, messages, or joining Zoom meetings.

In private life, it's for enjoying videos and music, or writing articles for 'note' like this.
Come to think of it, with the advent of smartphones, former portable music players like the iPod, which we used so much, have disappeared from sight.

Smartphones are so convenient and bring such richness to our lives. Naturally, they have a clock function, too.
Even if I forget my wristwatch, I can manage, and I probably won't be in trouble.
Even so, glancing at the watch that should be on my wrist might just be an action that has become part of my daily routine.

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But why do we care so much about 'time,' I wonder?

Today's date is 'Wednesday, February 4th.'

Work-style reform, Wednesday as a scheduled leave day.
You finish work at the 'scheduled time,' and from there, it's fun time.
There's the 'late show' where you can reasonably enjoy a movie you've wanted to see for a while, or if you're a music lover, there's happy hour in the evening, or even if you can't make that, you can go check out a lively, glittering live performance starting late.

You can coordinate with friends who share the same hobbies via LINE or Discord.
Naturally, you decide on a 'meeting time' by working backward from the 'start time' of the live performance.

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Oh, right, the movie I dropped out of without joining the conversation after just showing my face. In recent years, cineplexes (cinema complexes, a style where a movie theater houses many small screens) have become popular, and a style of booking seats online according to the 'movie screening time' for each screen before heading out has become widespread.

Thinking about it this way, we realize that even though it's for fun, we are fitting ourselves into the framework of time—just like squeezing our bodies into our favorite clothes, even if they have a tight silhouette—in accordance with the severe 'time' that flows without skipping a single minute or second, for work on weekdays and even more so for fun on holidays.

Even if it's by our own will, it's as if it's outside of us, and once you step into it, you just leave it to the flow and let it carry you somewhere.
It's like a river that keeps flowing in front of you without a moment's rest.

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We are actually naturally riding the 'flow of time' that has been flowing since before we were born, from the moment we become aware of it.
The parents who guided you into this world, and even the connections from before that, can be traced because the 'flow of time' exists.

Above all, the chance for you to meet wonderful people is because of the confluence of that person and you, who intersect in the flow.

There are 'precious encounters' precisely because the 'flow of time' has been flowing without rest from the distant past to you, and to me.

The most precious things are inconspicuous when they are within reach. Above all, time is where various happy encounters exist from the moment we are born until we eventually pass away.

Yes, we who live in that irresistible time are 'time travelers,' aren't we?


I hope you have a good day today, too.
(🎹MIYABI)