Even if you can't make friends at school

Hello. I am Homo Ludens.

When I left Tokyo, the stay-at-home order had just been lifted, but there was a friend I met for tea. We talked endlessly at a long-established coffee ☕️ shop in Kichijoji.

Saying, "It's been a while since I've been out," she paid for our tea, calling it a "farewell party." Thinking back on it now brings tears to my eyes. The wonder of meeting in person. The sadness of knowing we wouldn't be able to see each other for a while.

They say a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Meeting in person while the risk of infection still existed showed me that she truly cared about me. I'm glad I was able to meet such a person in Tokyo.

I have such wonderful friends now, but in elementary school, I had zero or one friend, and my parents were constantly worried. Compared to my younger sister, who was more social than me and brought friends home, it stung when my father muttered, "[My Name] never brings friends over."

But to conclude, none of that matters.

Even if you can't make friends in a classroom, which is just a space where children of the same age from the same area happen to be gathered,

you might get along well with children of different ages,

or you might find common ground with children from far away who share your interests.

There are also cases like gifted children who don't fit in with their peers because their intellect is far beyond theirs.

If you are an HSP like me, you might freeze up, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information in a classroom.

In some regions, there is discrimination. No matter how hard such children try, they cannot stand on the same footing as the children around them. This is a cruel story that actually happened in junior high school.

You don't have to force yourself to build relationships at school; there are ways to connect with people who share your values as you like. Instead of trying to navigate the classroom while holding your breath, I think it's better to meet people while taking deep breaths outside. ← These are the words I wanted my parents to say to me, and which never came to pass.

A classroom can be described as a homogeneous and peculiar world.

A group made up of children of the same age from the same area is not something you often find outside of school. It's not like that in a company, either.

Having lots of friends at school 🏫 is wonderful. But if things aren't going well there, please don't be discouraged, especially you parents.

I once heard the story of a company president who had experienced truancy. Apparently, the interviewer asked, "Did not going to school hinder your communication skills?" Even though they are running a company while communicating with their employees.

Well, I don't know how much my "communication skills" are worth, and they might still be poor, haha.

I was able to make friends who sincerely say, "Stay at my place when you come to Tokyo."

Addition

A "farewell party" (soukoukai) is for those who are going and coming back.

A "farewell party" (soubetsukai) is for those who are going and not coming back.

I didn't know that either, but apparently there is that difference. I'm genuinely happy since the premise is that I'll be returning to Tokyo 😆