[Living Alone in Your 50s] The Reason I Bought Back the Magazines I Let Go

The magazine I used to love reading had disappeared before I knew it.

And so, I ended up buying back the very magazine I had let go.

Are there any books or magazines you regret getting rid of?

I have some.

A magazine called "Enjoy Living Alone to the Fullest!"

I had been reading it ever since I was in my 30s, even while I was married.

What I loved about this magazine was that it featured so many "rooms that weren't trying too hard."

They were a bit cluttered, or had a lived-in feel,

but that was exactly what made them feel like "the person themselves," and somehow endearing.

Just looking at them made me excited.

I would think to myself over and over, "I love this kind of life."

But you know,

I had too many books and magazines, and I started running out of space to put them.

I took them to a used bookstore many times.

Also, I felt like it didn't quite make sense to keep holding onto magazines about living alone while I was married.

Even though I loved them, I let them go.

I never imagined that after that,

I would get divorced and return to living alone again (laughs).

I think the me from back then would be quite surprised.

My current home is a one-room apartment in a wooden building.

It's probably about 8 tatami mats in size (lol).
The bath and toilet are combined,
and you can hear the neighbor snoring—it's quite a charming place.

But,

it has parking,
free Wi-Fi,
and affordable rent.

It's the perfect place for me right now.

I loved the bay window and the warmth of the wood,
and I knew right away, 'I think I like this place.'

When I moved in, I looked up a lot of interior design ideas.

But these days, all the rooms you see online are so stylish, clean, and perfectly organized.

They are lovely, but
they feel a bit too 'dressed up' for me.

I felt like they didn't quite match my current lifestyle.

Even looking at them, I didn't feel the same excitement I used to.

That was when I suddenly remembered
that magazine.

'Enjoying Living Alone to the Fullest!'

When I looked it up, I found out it had ceased publication in 2015.

Wait, it's gone? I was a bit shocked.

And at the same time, I regretted letting them go.

Once you know you can't have something, you want it even more (lol).

I searched on Mercari and bought a whole set.

Even though I had once let these magazines go,
it felt like they had properly come back to me.

For some reason, that made me quite happy.

When I flip through the pages after a long time,

I realize I really do love it.

It has nothing to do with whether I was married or living alone.

I just realized that I simply love the atmosphere of this magazine.

I don't think I'll ever let this magazine go again.

The time I spend reading it slowly while having a drink
is an indescribably wonderful time.

It is precisely because I moved into this room

that I feel I have rediscovered what I love.

It doesn't have to be a big, grand house.

A place that is small, a bit old, but comfortable.

If I can live my own way in a place like that, that is enough.

Living alone,

I find, is actually quite fun. ☺️