Review of 'I Became a Close Contact'

I have finally returned to this place (note).

Finally?
I checked, and it has been almost two weeks since my last note.
What on earth happened to Noko-san?
What are you talking about! You can tell if you read the title!
Oh, you're right! ← End of silly one-person skit ☺

After that little chuckle,
please take a look at Noko-san's relentless struggle!
There was no room for laughter at all,
just days spent desperately trying to protect irreplaceable lives!!

In mid-September, Noko-san's daughter was not informed that many people at her company had been infected with the virus, and after returning to work for the first time in 10 days, she caught it.
Noko-san and her one-year-old grandchild became close contacts and ended up having to live in self-imposed isolation for the minimum of 10 days.
It was a huge shock for both the daughter and Noko-san.

The phone call from her daughter saying, 'I tested positive. I'm sorry,' was heartbreaking.
Even though she was suffering from the illness herself, to say 'I'm sorry'... 😢
'You don't need to say that, don't worry about it, I hope you get well soon'I felt like saying that to her instinctively.
At the time, the infection rate was increasing rapidly.
It was also a time when we were prepared for the fact that with the infection spreading this much, it wouldn't be strange to catch it anywhere.

This disease, which is prevalent not only in Japan but all over the world,
barged into homes with small children without even taking off its shoes
and completely destroyed their modest daily lives.
Once her daughter was infected, there was no time to be sad.
She had to switch gears,'I'm glad the rest of the family isn't infected'and just do her best 😢

The fact that her daughter ordered necessary items online, that Noko-san prepared things to make disinfection easier, and that they were both extremely careful not to infect each other showed me,
'No matter what, I will protect the child from the virus!'
the strong will of both of them.
I think the detailed defensive measures, such as using disinfectant goods, using paper plates and cups for meals, and throwing them into trash bags in the room after use, were helpful.

If that formidable virus had attacked a one-year-old child... just thinking about it makes me shudder. Even now that the state of emergency has been lifted, there are people who are still suffering. It is such a terrible disease that many people are still left with aftereffects even after treatment.

I was so relieved that her second daughter brought them food supplies. Eating is living, so it is important!!

I am of course worried about her daughter who was hospitalized the next day, but Noko-san had many missions she had to accomplish for the grandchild in front of her.
Preparing breakfast, waking the grandchild up, changing their clothes, feeding them, cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, and playing while the laundry was running—even just writing it down, the childcare for a one-year-old is heavy labor.
Moreover, the grandchild was at the age where they were just on the borderline of whether they would listen to 'wait a moment,' so it was a time when she couldn't take her eyes off them for a second.

While trying her best to protect her young grandchild, I think she must have felt lonely somewhere deep down.
The unexpected kindness from those around her arrived just when she was at her limit and had no room to spare.
How much did those acts save Noko-san's heart and give her courage?

The part where she cried looking at her grandchild's face the morning after she could only sleep for a short time due to the baby crying at night, the scene where she cried at the kind advice from the public health center, the tears from her friends worrying and bringing supplies, and the tears from the 'likes' and comments from her note friends. It was a parade of tears, and I couldn't hold back and cried while reading it too.

Crying is a form of emotional detox.
I always recommend crying without holding back, and I believe Noko-san's tears were necessary to let out her pain and loneliness.
If you force yourself to bottle it up, you will end up sick in both mind and body, won't you?

Not only the support from her second daughter and the supplies from her real-life friends,
but also the 'likes' and comments from her note friends sent to Noko-san
moved me to tears as well.

Both the real world and the note world have kind and warm connections, don't they 💖
I thought that it is precisely because there are warm connections that we can feel safe being kind to others and receiving kindness in return.

It was a very difficult time for Noko-san, her daughter, and her grandchild 😢
You all worked so hard!

I was relieved to learn from the postscript that she had returned to work and from the comments that her daughter had been discharged.

I was moved by the'World That Begins'that Noko-san shared,
and the kind connections with those around her.

Thank you for your application!