[Prologue] Deciding to 'Live Once More' at 75—Why I Am Writing These Words Now
On January 28, 2025, I saw shocking footage on the television news.
A truck making a left turn was suddenly swallowed by a road that had collapsed.
The driver was a 74-year-old man, the same age as me.
The following day, I celebrated my 75th birthday.
That driver passed away while still 74.
I began this year gripped by the feeling that I had simply survived by chance.
I have come to think about what it means to 'live' all over again.
At 75, society often describes this age with words like 'the final stage' or 'the remainder of one's life.'
But I have decided that now is the time to 'live once more.'
That is the reason I titled this note 'Living from 75.'
This is a record, and at the same time, it is the 'trajectory of my own restart.'
Perhaps this might become a book. Or perhaps my life might end along the way.
Even so, from this moment on, 'writing about living'—that choice is important to me.
I was born in 1950.
At 60, I gave up my car, started walking, eventually began riding a bicycle, and started going to a sports club.
Now, for 15 years, I have continued aqua exercises in a walking pool four days a week. This physical habit has supported me.
But I have come to feel that the heart, too, may need the exercise of words.
I once worked on the front lines of editing as a magazine editor-in-chief and published several books. However, since witnessing the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, I had lost the desire to create for a long time.
The helplessness and emptiness I felt back then still remain within me.
Even so, I have been able to choose to 'write' again now.
Perhaps it is because, at this age, I have finally gained the resolve to accept the 'weight of words.'
I do not yet know what I can say.
However, I intend to write down my small daily realizations, thoughts on my body and mind, and my feelings about the life ahead in this place called note.
If I can gently stand by someone else who is also living their 'future'—that is enough for me.
In this note, I will write about my habits, thoughts, and the journey of recovery as I 'live from 75.' I believe that somewhere, there will be a moment where my path crosses with yours as you read this.