I have not forgotten the life I could not protect back then

Hello everyone.
I am Mashako Haruno, a researcher of life's difficulties.

The other day, I read this article by Tsumuha-san.

Tsumuha-san, I am sorry for introducing your work without permission.
If this is inconvenient for you, please let me know quietly and I will delete it.

After I finished reading it, I couldn't stop crying for a while.

It tells the story of the 10 years Tsumuha-san spent with her Shiba Inu, 'Shiba-san'.

Tsumuha-san was working full-time when she first started keeping Shiba-san.
However, she apparently changed jobs to night work in order to take care of Shiba-san.

Her husband was also working full-time, and Tsumuha-san spent all day taking care of Shiba-san.
Even when friends invited her out, she would sometimes turn them down just to spend time with Shiba-san.

The inner conflict she felt during that time is what is written about in this article.

Actually, I also used to have a dog a long time ago.
It wasn't a Shiba Inu, but a Pomeranian.
Unlike Tsumuha-san, I didn't take care of it at all.

My depression was severe at the time, and I couldn't even think about taking care of someone else.

'Maybe if you live with a dog, the strength to keep living will sprout within you.'

My parents gave me the dog with that wish in mind.

Actually, at that time, my binge eating was also severe.
When I would eat snacks in secret, the dog would naturally yelp and bark.

Foolish as I was, I would say to the dog,

'Shh!'

trying to make it be quiet.

Because I didn't take care of it at all, my parents eventually gave it away to a foster home.
I didn't know anything about it, and I was depressed for a while afterward.

Looking back now, I think I was immature.

Reading Tsumugi-san's article reminded me of my past self.

Tsumugi-san pours so much love into Shiba-san, far more than I ever could.
I don't think I could provide that level of care.

"It's work, so it can't be helped if I leave the dog home alone."

Many people probably think that way.

At the end of the article, Tsumugi-san writes this.

If I were to ever have a pet again,

"I will absolutely make this child happy."

I will make this my primary premise.

Because I have not forgotten the life I could not save back then.

At the end of the article, there is also a cute photo of Tsumugi-san and Shiba-san together.
I can feel the bond between the two of them once again.
Tsumugi-san, thank you so much for such a wonderful article!

Thinking about these things was also sparked by this book.

(I am participating in the Amazon Associates Program)

If you read this book, I think you will properly understand why I wrote this article.

Whether you own a dog or not, I highly recommend it.

The beginning of the "Living Difficulty Researcher" is here.

My goal for this year is as follows.