[Essay] "Rain and Showers"

It was raining on the night of that day.
The rain began to ease up little by little,
and a light drizzle was falling.

I quietly turned my gaze toward the rainy sky and the people passing by outside the window.
In the light rain, it seemed like about half the people were using umbrellas and half were walking without them.

Did the people walking without umbrellas
forget them?
They walked quickly, trying not to get even a little wet.

I don't know where they are headed.
Are they on their way home?
Are they on their way back to work?
Are they meeting a partner?

I wonder why they are in such a hurry?
Each person's life
is lived while carrying various landscapes and emotions.

That person's landscape is only visible to their own eyes.
Therefore, it is difficult for others to know
all the landscapes they see.

If you don't mind the light rain,
you can walk without an umbrella.

It's not like a downpour or heavy rain
where you can't walk without one,
nor does it impair your vision.

However,
even if you don't get soaked like you would in a downpour or heavy rain,
if you walk in light rain,
it will subtly but surely soak your body.

The rain that has subtly soaked you
can sometimes
chill your body more than you thought.

While you spend time with a chilled body,
you might end up catching a cold.

Umbrellas and raincoats are essential items on rainy days
to keep from getting wet and
to keep from chilling your body.

Sometimes you return home wet from the rain.
Sometimes you get wet even with an umbrella.

If your body is chilled,
taking a bath and a warm shower
is the best way to warm up.
Soaking leisurely in the tub,
warming yourself to the core.

Even if it's just a light drizzle,
it's better to use an umbrella, isn't it?
As I was lost in such thoughts,
an image suddenly crossed my mind.

"I feel like this also applies to human relationships and the heart..."

In our daily lives, we live while being showered by many
rains of words.
From the moment I was born into this world until now,
up to this very moment,
in various situations,
I have lived while being showered by rains of words.

Not only the words I have seen and heard in real life from
family, school, friends, and the workplace,
but also the words I see and hear on screens,
such as on YouTube, television, movies, and social media.

I am defenselessly exposed to that rain of words.
Without an umbrella, without wearing a raincoat,
I am just left out in the rain.

For atmospheres or angry shouts that are like
a downpour or heavy rain,
I might be able to take action to avoid them,
like staying away or not getting involved,
so as not to be showered by them.

But what about words that are like a light drizzle?

I can endure words of this level.
If I try hard enough, it will be fine.
If I don't pay attention, I can manage.

At first, perhaps I really
was able to endure it.
Perhaps I was able to manage by trying hard.
Perhaps I was able to deceive myself
by trying not to pay attention.

Just as a light rain slowly chills the body,
the small, daily rain of words, even if unnoticed,
can sometimes slowly chill the heart.

Some people open an umbrella at the slightest rain,
while others feel it's not enough to worry about and don't mind getting wet,
spending their time without a care.

Differences in sensitivity and perception exist in everyone.
Some people are bothered by even the most trivial words,
while others are loose and indifferent to language.

The way one feels about the rain of words
might also be completely different from person to person.
I feel that how it is seen and heard changes as well.

Just as you would catch a cold
if you spent your time chilled to the bone,
if you spend your time with a chilled heart,
there are times when your heart catches a cold too.

Once you catch a cold,
it becomes hard to move,
and even eating becomes difficult.
Sometimes, even when you want to sleep, you cannot.

So, what should one do?

I feel that what is needed is
understanding prevention and signs,
and knowing how to cope.
I think.

If, even after getting better,
you continue to live the same way,
getting soaked and having your heart chilled,
your heart will become weak once again.

If so, to avoid being
defenselessly exposed to the rain of words,
you should wear an umbrella or a raincoat.

An umbrella and a raincoat
to protect your own emotions and senses.
It is not to reject the rain of words,
nor is it to hurt anyone else.

Even if you can prevent it
by wearing an umbrella or a raincoat,
if you are pelted with the fierce intensity
of a driving or torrential rain,
you might still get wet.

The feelings you felt at that time,the swaying and trembling of your emotions,
the discomfort, aversion, and pain are the signs,I believe.

Just as you notice the signs of a cold
through chills, a sore throat, discomfort,
or the unpleasantness of a stuffy nose.

If you dismiss these signs of a cold as just your imagination
and push yourself, you will develop a high fever and become unable to move.

A cold of the heart is the same.
If you pretend not to notice the discomfort, pain, or emotional swaying
and push yourself,
you will cause your heart to malfunction,
and there are times when you will become unable to move.

If you notice the signs,
turn your attention toward yourself.
If you do not do so, both your body and heart
may worsen.

Even if you can prevent it or notice the signs,
if you do not know how to cope,
there is nothing you can do.

To keep from chilling your body,
you take a warm shower or soak in a bathtub
to warm yourself up.
You wrap yourself in a blanket and sleep warmly.
You take medicine if necessary.

When your heart starts to get cold,
you should bathe in a warm shower of words.If you can say words to yourself
that make you feel warm and fuzzy,
you will gradually warm up.

To yourself,
say words of appreciation.
Say happy words.
Say words of gratitude.
Try saying kind words.

No one is watching you.
No one is listening to you.
So, if you find yourself thinking things like this,
you don't need to worry
that it's strange or weird.

Relaxing and wrapping yourself
in a blanket of kindness,
or soaking in a bathtub filled with warmth and appreciation,
will make you feel relieved as your heart warms up.

I think there are some people who are not good
at being kind to themselves.
I used to be that way myself.

In such cases,
videos, books, anything is fine.
Try to make time to relax by engaging with content
that makes your heart feel warm, fuzzy, and healed.

As if gently loosening and washing away
a harsh, jagged heart.

Animals are fine, anime is fine.
Music is fine, comedy is fine.
If it creates a feeling of warmth in your heart,
anything is fine.
Feel free to immerse yourself in a comfortable time.

When you can be kind, appreciative, and grateful to yourself,
you will also be able to
offer kindness, appreciation, and words of gratitude
to others as well.

And perhaps, by seeing that,
you might become
an umbrella or a raincoat
for someone else.