[Essay 1] Every weekend, I write. I have decided to record my days of caregiving and farming in words.

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Introduction

Starting today, I have decided to write an essay every weekend.

About my daily life working as a care worker.
About my daily life protecting the rice fields with my father-in-law.
About the casual, everyday life of living in the city of Niihama.

I intend to put these into words and leave them behind.

Why I write

To be honest, I am not a professional writer.

I have no flowery expressions or the literary talent of a novelist. I am just a care worker and a part-time farmer.

But one day, I suddenly thought,

Is it okay to just let it all end without leaving anything behind?

The rice fields my father-in-law has protected for over 40 years.
The words of the users I have met at the care facility.
The movements of my heart felt when seeing the sun peek through the cloudy sky.

These have certainly changed 'something' within me. But if I don't put them into words, I will eventually forget them.

Memories eventually fade. But writing remains.

That is why I write.

What I will write

What I write about is nothing special.

Things I felt at the caregiving site.
Things I learned from my father-in-law in the rice fields.
The beauty of the sunrise I saw after a night shift.
The old stories that the people I care for would occasionally share.

None of it is flashy. It is not Instagram-worthy either.

But, these are events that are certainly etched into my life.

And, perhaps—

Someone else working in caregiving might empathize with it.
Someone interested in country life might find it useful.
Someone who is tired might feel their heart lighten just a little.

When I think that way, the meaning of writing becomes clear.

Who do I write for?

First and foremost, for myself.

I look back on the events of the day and organize my feelings. That is why I write.

But that is not all.

It is also for you, who reads this.

If these words reach your heart even a little.
If they make you think, 'I will do my best too.'
If they make you realize, 'There is a way of living like this too.'

That becomes my joy.

The reason I decided to write every week

Once a week. That is the perfect pace for me.

Every day is honestly tough. There are night shifts and work in the rice fields.
Once a month, and my motivation fades. I forget.

One piece on the weekend.

If it is that, I feel I can keep it up.

There is meaning in continuing.

Even if each piece is a small essay, in a year, there will be 52.
That will become a 'record' of my life.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

There will likely be weeks where I can't write well.

There will be weeks where I am busy with work and exhausted.
There will be weeks where I think, 'Nothing really happened this week.'

But that is fine.

It doesn't have to be a perfect essay.
It can be in my own words, just as I am.

If there are 100 readers, even if it doesn't resonate with 99 of them, it's enough if it reaches one.

Thinking that way makes me feel at ease.

You must have something you want to convey, too.

If you, who are reading this essay—

'I want to write something too,'
'But I don't have any literary talent...'
'Maybe no one will read it...'

If you are thinking that, I want to tell you this.

Please try writing.

It doesn't have to be written well.
It doesn't have to go viral.
It doesn't have to be evaluated by anyone.

Just try putting what is in your heart into words.

It will definitely reach someone.
And above all,it will become words that save you yourself.

Finally

Every weekend, I return here.

Things I felt at the caregiving site.
Things I learned in the rice fields.
The meaning of living in Niihama.

I will turn those into words, little by little.

If you find yourself wanting to read more, there is nothing that would make me happier.

So, let's meet here again next week.

Beyond the cloudy sky, there is always the sun.
Believing in that light, I will continue to write.

Next week's preview:
'Memories of the rice fields taught to me by a care recipient' or 'A story about being scolded by my father-in-law' (which one it will be is a surprise for next week)

#WeeklyEssay #CareWorker #PartTimeFarmer #Niihama #CountryLife #DeclarationOfDetermination #ConsistencyIsPower