2025/05/22 The Sound of Rain and Finding Balance ~Believing It Gets Through~

2025/05/22

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain quietly tapping against the window.
The fine droplets, changing their rhythm from time to time, carry a damp humidity through the curtains.

The temperature isn't that high, but the humidity is, and it feels like it's clinging to my skin.
I open the window just a little to let in the outside air.

While my body hasn't fully woken up yet, I suddenly remember iced coffee. I think to myself that I should clear some space in the fridge soon to add it to my summer staples.

It's not that I'm giving up on hot drinks, but it's that kind of morning where I find myself craving something crisp and cold.

At the turn of the seasons, I often notice the change in the weight of the air or the feeling of the morning before I notice the temperature.

The curse of "I have to do it"

For the bento box, I packed some karaage (fried chicken) that I had fried in a larger batch and frozen the other day. Kinpira, spinach ohitashi, rolled omelet, and tomatoes. They are all staples, but they are the side dishes that represent "peace of mind" to me.

It's easy because I can pack them right away, and it's a big help because it looks decent enough.

You don't have to make everything from scratch.

I think I've grown quite a bit. There was a time when I was anxious, thinking that if I didn't do everything perfectly, people would think I didn't care.

Housework, work, bento boxes, raising children.
If I cut corners, I loseIt was a time when I felt like that, and it somehow led to guilt.
It was so painful that I would cry while making a rolled omelet.

But even if you don't do everything, the things you cherish are definitely getting through!

Rather, I think that as long as you put effort into the things you "want to cherish," it's okay to have the courage to leave other things to someone else.

What you've built up is clearly visible

In the evening, my eldest daughter suddenly told me.

"Since (my close friend) was absent, I watered the balsam plants for them today."

She said it casually, but I couldn't help but say out loud, "That's so kind of you." Finding something someone else hasn't done and quietly filling in for them.
That's not something even adults can easily do.

No one asked her to do it, and it wasn't something that would stand out. But when I realized she had become able to do such things naturally, aquiet sense of pridesprouted within me.

Children are watching, and they are absorbing things.

I think that this kind of behavior,is surely making someone feel warmwithout the person themselves even realizing it.

The option of "easing" your feelings

For dinner, I made menchi-katsu (minced meat cutlets).
They were semi-prepared items that just needed frying, butit was a perfect score because I got to see my daughters stuffing their faces with the freshly fried cutlets, saying, "It's hot! But it's delicious!"

The sound of the freshly fried crunch and the flavor of the meat spreading slowly. The sauce on the same spot of my daughters' mouths makes me relax.

Just as my eldest daughter watered the plants for her friend, I am naturally following up on someone else's "can't do," and surely someone is quietly supporting my "can't do."

Being grateful for that, I try changing what I thought"I have to do it"into"It's okay to delegate".

That's not being lazy; it's finding theperfect balance

for both yourself and others.

It's not about being irresponsible, but perhaps about having trust in those around you and kindness toward yourself.

Balance is important in everything

It's easy to focus only on what you couldn't do.

But even if you don't make a perfect bento, love is packed inside. Even if you can't make an elaborate dinner, the calm time with your children is definitely accumulating.

In that way, another day for our family has ended.
It started with rain, we spent the day with humidity, and in the evening, we even saw a bit of sunshine.

Temperature and humidity can be as uncomfortable as you want them to be if you think of them that way, but
"findingbalance" might be about getting along well with such discomfort and awkwardness.

Because there probably isn't a time when everything is comfortable and everything is satisfying.

That is precisely why I want to cherish and keep days like today, where things felt a bit fuzzy but I still touched upon kindness.

It's a small action, but it's a kindness I don't want to miss.

We might actually show our true selves the most when we makeinconspicuous choices.

What kind of "kindness" did you see today?

When you let go of a little bit of your sense of responsibility, things sometimes work out surprisingly well.

I believe that the trust and consideration you have built up day by day are truly alive in that space.

\ If you'd like, please take a look at these too /

▶︎ What lies behind the "ease" of having built things up to today

▶︎ Are you "savoring the present moment"?

▶︎ An ordinary working mom who enjoys the "morning" by waking up at 4 AM

Thank you so much for reading until the end♪

Sometimes things work out naturally when your feelings are in order.

Because the things you cherish are getting through, even if you aren't perfect.

Let's relax our shoulders a little and enjoy living today together. See you later!