I've never thought about social contribution. Still, here is why I coach for free on my days off

Hello, this is fafa.

Today, I have a very personal story that you can read in two minutes.

Actually, besides my roles as a salesman and a father, I have another face.

It is my face as a coach, teaching "soft tennis" to junior high school students on my days off.

The person who gave me the opportunity to start this activity is Mr. M, our head coach.

This Mr. M is truly an amazing person.

To ensure local children can enjoy tennis, he negotiated with the city himself, built courts on the riverbed, and opened them up at an unbelievably low price.

Furthermore, he uses coaching fees that are cheaper than the court rental costs and his own money to buy a large number of tennis balls, which he then uses to teach the children tennis.

He is 80 years old.

Although he rarely swings a racket himself these days, he still makes sure to stand on the court every week, laughing as he hands out ice cream in the summer and mandarin oranges in the winter, saying, "I want the children to know the joy of winning."

He is so loved that even the junior high students pat his head and call him "Coach-chan!" (I, for one, would never dare to do that, haha), and he is truly a person who is the embodiment of the spirit of service.

■ A sudden "I'll leave the rest to you"

Recently, I've been hearing Mr. M say things like"I'll leave the rest to you now."more and more often.

Every time he says that, I brush it off, saying, "Please, keep going! Everyone is coming here to see you, Coach."

But the other day, what came out of Coach M's mouth was,

"I might have to be hospitalized starting next week."

Those words.

At that moment, I could feel my heart pounding.

"It depends on the test results, right? You're still going strong, you'll be fine!"

I tried to sound cheerful and made a lighthearted joke as usual, but inside, I was deeply shaken.

Even if he looks young and energetic, he is 80 years old.

At his age, you can't help but consider the "what ifs."

■ Why do I coach tennis?

After that, I thought about it while watching the children's matches.

Why do I coach tennis?

The answer isn't anything as grand as social contribution,

"I cannot betray Coach M"
"I must preserve Coach M's vision"

That is all.

But

How heavy it is.
That's what I thought.

This place that Coach M has built over 80 years of his life, and his passion.

Inheriting all of that is just too heavy.

...But actually, I'm not that worried.

Because there are other coaches besides me who adore Coach M.

And I think everyone understands,

"We must not let this place disappear."

I understand that.

Well, all of this

"I want the children to enjoy soft tennis."

is probably the result of Coach M's obsession.

For now, I wrote this article hoping that he will come to the tennis court in good health next week.

Oh, and this is my 89th consecutive day posting on note.

11 more days until 100.

I'll keep coaching, and I'll keep doing note too.