[Correspondence 6] My mother gave me an experience at 'Jiyucho' as a gift

Dear Mom,

I still see Anpanman potatoes often...
The cup of mozuku seaweed that was often in my bento box had silly puns written on it. My friends used to be so jealous of my mini omelets and the oranges with faces drawn on them. Thinking about it brings back so many memories!

When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with 'Uchi no 3 Shimai' (My 3 Sisters) and would read them all at the library. I thought those girls were so funny, but now I realize that I, and children in other families, probably have tons of stories just like that.

And now, I'm already 22 years old...
I received a birthday card from my mother two months ago on my birthday.
There were two gifts; one was a book called 'Ikiru Nobiru Tame no Jimu' (Office Work to Survive and Thrive).
The second was an experience at 'Jiyucho'.

'Jiyucho' is a shop where you can send letters to your future self.
There were several options, and she included flowers, a message card, and a service to include an instant photo with the letter.

Here, you choose 'what kind of self you want to face,' and they provide reflection cards (with questions to help you face yourself) and stationery sets.
The reflection cards had sections for things like what I like now and why I like them, and I had so many realizations about myself, even though it was about me.

When I finished my job hunting in April, I was worried about my relationships and my ideal self. I was going in circles thinking about what I wanted to do, if it was okay to stay as I was, and how I wanted to spend my last year as a student.

By writing down my honest feelings and my ideal self for my future self one year from now,
I felt once again that 'I like the version of myself that can enjoy this time of facing words alone.'
It was a time when I felt like I had lost sight of myself by depending on a narrow circle of relationships at university, but that has cleared up, and I feel like my vision has opened up.

A gift of an experience is wonderful because it creates infinite emotions compared to receiving a physical object.
I use the message card that said 'Enjoy this luxurious time of spinning words' as a bookmark for my book. Thank you.

From Kyu-chan