My mother's happiness sensor.

My mother, Itsuki, says that the moment she opens her smartphone, the clock or the license plate numbers of cars she happens to pass are often repeating digits, sequential numbers, or nice puns...

Every time that happens, she gets happy,
and she takes a screenshot, saying 'I'm on a roll!', and shares it with us kids (lol).

She also said that when she's driving, a white bird often crosses her path, just as if it had timed it perfectly!

According to her,

'These are things I wouldn't have been able to meet (or see) if the timing had been off by even a second.'

That's why she says it makes her so happy.

And here is today's progress report from my mother ⇩

November 1st, 11:11...

This is amazing...!

I was just at work, looking at the digital clock in the elevator I took in the 11 o'clock hour, thinking, 'Oh, it's November 1st. I missed the repeating digits!' So I was even more surprised when my mother sent me the screenshot above!

It seems so auspicious that I wanted to share it with you all too (lol).

As her daughter,
I think my mother has a rich sensor for catching happiness, and she's someone who can notice even the smallest joys.

Surely,
even I, who am on my smartphone just as much as my mother, must be turning it on at plenty of moments with repeating digits.

Even when driving, since I drive longer distances every day than my mother, I must be passing by plenty of incredibly lucky license plates.

But,
the reason I can't notice them like my mother does is,

because I'm 'multitasking,' absent-minded, or thinking about other things... I'm sure it's because even though I look like I'm seeing the world in front of me, I'm not really looking at it well.

When I spend time with my mother, I often see her noticing, rejoicing in, and being grateful for even the most trivial things.

The scenery my mother sees,
I've sometimes felt a little envious, thinking it must be more colorful than my own.

Even from a child's perspective, she's someone who has had quite a few hardships since she was young, but she never wavered, never gave up, and remained just as she was.

In fact, as she gets older, she has become so resilient and positive that even her daughter is left speechless.

She is truly a strong person, and my mother is someone I often respect.

When the two of us talk, I am constantly surprised by the differences in how we feel and think about the same things.

Even as mother and daughter with the same blood running through our veins, I am often shocked at how different our personalities are.

Conversely, these days I am keenly aware of how scarily similar I am to my father...

I will avoid stating exactly what kind of personality my father has here, but...I am definitely just like my father.

My parents are truly polar opposites, with very different personalities.

I'm sure that was just right for them.

If I told my mother that, she would probably make a complicated face, but I think they are a perfect match.

Dad, you have a difficult personality, but I'm glad you met Mom.

Today, as always, I witnessed my mother's positive power and her happiness sensor in full swing, so...

I thought I would follow her example, polish my own happiness sensor, and learn to notice and appreciate even the smallest things...

That was my day today (lol).

The decorative borders used in the text are here ⇩