A Random Diary: The Asset More Important Than 'Amazon Shipping Costs' That a Luxury Sedan Taught Me
I'm choosing Tokyo, no question. Because Amazon shipping is cheap there.
During a break, my city-raised colleague said this with a straight face, and it hit me like a punch to the head. The discussion about where to live in old age started from a black luxury sedan I saw in the city hall parking lot. A rolling lump of authority—I wondered how much wealth you need to ride in something like that.
My colleague was serious.
Do you have the stamina to walk to a late-night drugstore in your old age? Infrastructure in rural areas is still inconvenient; it takes an hour by bus just to get to a hospital. Convenience is the best hedge against the risks of old age, isn't it?
I couldn't immediately find words for his rationality. While gazing at the dim city lights outside the window, I sipped my coffee in silence. 'Shut up,' I thought, 'but maybe he's right.' I had no choice but to mutter that to myself. The sense of security gained under the artificial lights of the city is certainly a QOL that can be bought with 'capital.' We are completely domesticated by rationality and numbers.
But at the same time, I was driven by a sense of impatience.
The convenience of Tokyo feels like being watched by someone all the time, and my heart can't rest. I'm constantly exposed to a tense atmosphere, and it's suffocating.
What is the 'quiet' that I am seeking?
The answer lay in memories of my hometown. On the way home at dusk, the scent of damp soil and grass unique to the countryside. That is the smell of the footpaths I walked with my father when I was in elementary school. It's a silence that can switch off the heart that city lights don't have. An environment where I can be isolated from information and breathe at my own pace.
In the end, everyone agreed that the 'peace of mind' in old age is not supported by quantifiable assets like luxury cars or savings, but by a spiritual foundation of 'familiar human relationships and environment.'
It struck me. Happiness in old age depends not on the physical location of 'where you live,' but on the quality of life (QOL) of 'how you live right now.'
I probably won't be able to buy that black luxury car. But that's fine.
What I will polish is my 'QOL assets,' the richness of my heart and life.
The fuel for that is the new perspectives I gain from the books I love, and the gentle quiet is maintained by the useless yet meaningful time spent with people who heal my heart.
Instead of rushing and worrying only about old age, I will nurture these intangible assets in the present moment. When I decided that, I felt like the taste of the coffee in front of me had changed to something a little richer.
What is your 'QOL asset'? Is it a visible asset like a luxury car, or is it a quietness of heart like the scent of your hometown? Please, let me hear your thoughts.