It's nice to be a "regular"!

The other day, while wandering around note, I found such a wonderful article.

It was about a person visiting a shop they used to frequent often, where they were on a first-name basis with the owner and staff, for the first time in a year and a half.

"I wonder if the owner remembers me...?"
"It's been a long time since I've been here, is it okay to act like a 'regular' now...?"

The author felt anxious and stayed quiet, pretending it was their first time, but those worries were for nothing; the owner spoke to them as casually as if they had just visited last week.

At that moment, "Ah, this is my 'place.' A place where it doesn't matter if I'm here or not, a place that will say 'welcome back' whenever I return." they felt.

I read such a heartwarming episode.😊

Taking advantage of that, I'd like to share one similar episode of my own.

About a 5-minute walk from my office, there is a taiyaki shop I have been going to for about four years since I joined the company.

I found the shop by chance when I finished lunch and thought I wanted something sweet as a little extra.
At first, it was just out of curiosity, but as I visited several times, I was drawn to the deliciousness of the taiyaki and the personality of the owner, and before I knew it, I was a regular.

I visit the shop alone most of the time, but I have also brought a friend from my cohort because "it's recommended!" and I have also brought a man in his 60s who joined my previous department mid-career.

The frequency varies; sometimes I go at a high pace of once or twice a week, and other times there is a gap of several months.

The owner is someone even a shy person like me finds very easy to talk to, and...

"The company started reducing telework because COVID has settled down..."
"I have to go to the office every day starting next month... Goodbye to the comfortable days of telework..."

When there were no other customers, he would listen to my trivial complaints, and sometimes he would give me advice based on his own experience as a shop owner.

When I bought taiyaki, the owner would sometimes give me a trial-flavor taiyaki as a bonus.
When I unexpectedly got two taiyaki, I was happy, but at the same time, I felt anxious, thinking, "I've already had lunch, can I finish this...?" but I ate it all deliciously, thinking it was the owner's kind gesture!

Well, I had become a "regular" to the point where I had been going for a long time, getting advice, and getting free taiyaki, but recently I hadn't been there for over half a year.
It wasn't that I was tired of eating taiyaki, it was just that I became reluctant to go out for lunch. (Is it my age...?)

Every time I show my face, the owner says, "Oh, hello, thank you as always~".
And this time, the interval between visits was longer than ever before.
Thinking, "Surely he doesn't remember me..." with a feeling of half-resignation, I visited the shop for the first time in a while, and...

"Oh, hello, thank you~"

He said, clearly remembering me, and spoke to me as casually as ever!
I thought, "It was awkward because I hadn't been there for a while, but I'm glad I gathered the courage to go!"

Neither the owner nor I even know each other's names properly, but I never imagined that our connection would last this long.
If possible, I hope to maintain this relationship forever.