The 'Ordinary Scene' That Finally Came True
The biggest harm brought about by COVID-19.
It was that we could no longer go anywhere freely.
Even if it was to my own parents' home.
◇
I returned to my parents' home in Nagano Prefecture for three days starting August 24th.
I hesitated a little due to the resurgence of COVID-19, but considering that our family had already contracted COVID-19 at the end of May and we were in good health, I decided to go.
As I mentioned in the article I wrote the other day (below), this visit was our family's first trip back home in about two and a half years.
For my son, it had been since before he entered kindergarten, just after he turned three.
My son is now in his final year of kindergarten, has grown quite tall, and has become very articulate.
We talk over video calls sometimes, but I think the feeling is completely different from meeting in person versus talking online.
I wondered if my son would be able to talk to his grandparents.
I hoped he wouldn't say he wanted to go home right away.
On the way there, I drove while thinking vaguely about such things.
But there was no need to worry at all.
Although my son was shy right after we arrived, he was soon at maximum excitement!
He was chatting with his grandpa and grandma with a big smile on his face 😊
While I felt happy,
the feeling of
'I wish I could have let him come sooner'also welled up inside me.
If we had had those two and a half years, how many times could we have come home?
I could have let him experience the nature of my parents' home more.
We could have done fireworks after dinner as many times as we wanted.
I could have let him play with his grandpa and grandma so much more.
...
But, it finally came true.
The sight of my son happily playing with fireworks.
The sight of my son teaching his grandma the origami he learned.
The sight of him running around outside and playing with water.
I watched that scene quietly.
I felt a sting in my nose.
I was finally able to have them meet.
I was finally able to bring him here.
Two and a half years really was a long time.
...
The two and a half years divided by COVID-19 caused us to lose many opportunities.
But precisely because there was a period when we couldn't meet, I was able to realize how precious the scenes that were once taken for granted really are.
My parents are already over 70.
I don't want to think about it, but if there is a beginning,
there is also an end.
I might only be able to let him see my son a handful of times.
That is why I want to firmly engrave the memories of each and every day I spend back at my parents' home into my heart.
That is what I think.
I hope you all cherish the time you spend with your families too.😊
See you later!
※The image at the beginning was snapped when my son and grandma went to pick green onions in the field📸