They say our wedding anniversary in two years will be our golden anniversary! It's not about what you eat, but who you eat with that matters!

Today, February 11th, is our wedding anniversary.
The story of why we have two wedding anniversaries is written in this article, so for those who want to know the details... well, I doubt anyone does. (^_^;)

Well, if you are even slightly interested, please take a look. <(_ _)>

In short, February 7th and February 11th are our wedding anniversaries.

And above all, today, February 11th, is the main event of our wedding anniversaries, more so than February 7th. (^_^)b

Of course, February 11th was our first choice from the beginning, but after being persuaded—or rather, taught a lesson—by the lady at the city office, we ended up being able to celebrate two wedding anniversaries, which, looking back, was truly a blessing.

So, today, February 11th, marks a happy wedding anniversary, just two years shy of our golden anniversary, after a long journey of a full half-century since we started dating and 48 years since we married. (^_^)b

That's right, next year will be our 49th wedding anniversary, and the year after will be our 50th, so we are just two years away from our golden anniversary! ヾ(^v^)k

...And to think that we would be able to celebrate half a century, 50 years... I always thought we would!

I always thought so, or rather, I believed it, I was convinced of it.

Just thinking about it isn't enough, but if you believe, your wishes will come true was a line that the lead actor, Ennosuke, shouted many times on stage in the Super Kabuki version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and I will proudly borrow it: if you believe, your wishes will come true. (^_^)b

In truth, I didn't wish for it that strongly, but we always talk about how nice it would be if we could reach our golden anniversary while staying youthful, healthy, and happy together.

Our marriage was practically an elopement, and we started living together on January 2nd, 48 years ago, in a 1K apartment with a tiny kitchen about the size of a single tatami mat attached to a six-tatami room.

Since then, we've moved 15 times: from Kagoshima to Tokyo, then back to Kagoshima, moving a few more times, then to Tokyo via Osaka, then moving through three different apartments in Chiba, and finally settling down in Kagoshima via Fukuoka—it was quite the game of life.

With every move, our rooms grew in size and layout, and the quality and luxury of our lifestyle improved with our age, but since settling down in our hometown, I feel that my values, or rather my outlook on life, have changed significantly.

I don't know if this is helpful, but when you estimate the funds needed for semi-retirement or full retirement while in your 40s or 50s, those estimates end up being way off—or rather, they end up being downward revisions.

When you're still working, you estimate the frequency of going out for fun or drinking based on the perspective of the working generation, but when you actually reach retirement age, your lifestyle patterns and values change, or perhaps you just mellow out.

For example, you might include estimates for drinking in Ginza or Nakasu, even if the frequency is low, or set a slightly higher budget for travel and dining out, which differs from reality.

But surprise, surprise!

When you actually reach that age, you don't bother going all the way out to Ginza or Nakasu to drink; it's a hassle, and you lose the desire to do so anyway. (^_^;)

I think you'll understand this when you reach that age, but you start to be satisfied with small portions of delicious food, and even that delicious food consists of a menu that others might call a simple, frugal meal.

Personally, if I have a dried fish fillet as a main dish, a warm bowl of miso soup, and freshly cooked white rice, that is a feast enough for me.

It is a state of mind reached after gaining some years, where you can feel truly satisfied with a menu that, if you were still in your prime working years, might have felt lacking, too meager, or even made you angry.

And then you realize the most important thing.

More important than what you eat, or where you eat, is

who you eat with!

Yes, even the most luxurious feast changes its flavor depending on who you share it with. Even if the menu looks like a simple meal, you can savor it with a feeling of greater luxury than any feast, depending on who you are eating with.

I believe that the earlier you realize this, the more the total amount of happiness you can experience in your life will grow.

If you are still in your younger working years before sixty, you will gain so much in life by realizing this early, so please cherish and love that 'someone' you eat and spend your time with from now on.

If you have already long passed sixty, please start cherishing and loving that someone from today, before it is too late.

By the way, my favorite phrases are 'Thank you' and 'It's okay,' but I just realized there is one more.

That is 'This is delicious!' When we eat dinner, we repeat 'This is delicious!' and 'This is delicious too!' over and over again. (^_^)b

Then she tells me, 'You know, for this one...' and talks about the seasoning tricks or how she cooked it.

In response, ideas for creative dishes like 'Next time, maybe we could try this flavor...' pop into my head, and we end up having a lively conversation about creative cooking together.

The purpose of life is... to live, and to eat in order to live. That means we are living to eat.

Someone once said that we are living to die. Since everyone dies in the end, living toward death is the same as living to die; that was the argument.

That means we get a job for the sake of food... I suppose.

Well, setting aside complicated talk, who you eat with, who you spend time with, and who you live with—I think these are very important things.

I feel like there are far too many people who end their lives without noticing the important people right beside them, or without conveying their feelings of how important they are.

Here too, what is important is to be your natural self, your true-to-life natural self, and make sure to convey your genuine feelings to the other person! (^_^)b

As an aside, I recommend securing a source of income after retirement to eliminate any anxiety about your livelihood.

So, this time it was about
"They say our wedding anniversary in two years will be our golden anniversary! It's not about what you eat, but who you eat with that matters!" and the topic of who you share your meals with.

See you!

Above all else, who you eat with, nice and easy.