#25 An hour spent realizing the importance of small actions and those who look up to you
Today, a junior from my university club came to visit me. He is one of the juniors I was close with during my college days, but we have barely seen each other since I graduated, and as far as I can recall, this was our first meeting in six years.
Walking through the town of Sawara with him after all this time, we were able to talk about many things, including updates on our former club members, our work, and our hobbies.
I think the reason he came to visit me—though it might sound like I'm bragging—is because I was able to treat my juniors with genuine care. I belonged to the Kyudo (archery) club in college, and the seniors who were there when I joined had a somewhat unapproachable atmosphere. Because of that, I didn't want to create any emotional walls with my own juniors, so I made an effort to be as frank and open as possible once they joined.
Perhaps that was a good thing, as many juniors came to be around me. We spent fun times together, practicing and going out for meals. I feel that the fact that they looked up to me and approached me to some extent is largely due to the fact that I reached out to them in a frank manner.
There aren't that many people who look up to me like this. I felt that I want to cherish this relationship.
I had another realization. This junior and I hadn't even been in contact for several years, but the fact that he came to visit today is a gift born from a small action.
I had been on Facebook for a while, but I hadn't posted in years and it was practically dormant.
I decided to increase my level of activity during my childcare leave, so I started posting things and hitting the "like" button when I saw my friends' posts.
In the midst of that, I saw a post from that junior saying he had climbed a mountain in Tochigi, so I "liked" it, and he responded by messaging me on Messenger.
He must have looked at my profile, because he found out I lived in Chiba Prefecture and reached out. What was surprising was that he also lived in Chiba City. I hadn't known that for several years. We both went to university in Nagano Prefecture, and since he was from Niigata, I never imagined he would be living in Chiba.
Since I am someone who moves frequently for work, I thought I should meet him while I could, so I messaged him, "Why don't you come visit?" I actually wanted to go visit him, but it's hard to get away when you have children. Even though I felt bad about it, I asked if he could come, and he readily agreed, saying, "I'll come anytime!"
Actually, he had other plans this afternoon, so we only had about an hour to meet. He drove two hours round-trip from Chiba City to Katori City just for that. Even so, he treated me as frankly as he used to, and we were able to talk about so many things; there is nothing that makes me happier than that.
That small action of just hitting "like" created a fulfilling time with an old friend. It was also a day where I felt that human relationships are for life, and that I must truly cherish the relationships with those who look up to me.
I will continue to interact with many people throughout my life, but I want to treasure these irreplaceable encounters.