[A whopping 2 hours of recording!] The first collaboration article between Yohaku-chan and Utsuro Tabata!!

It's Yohaku🍀

Good morning☀️

This article is a collaboration with Utsuro-san✨

I was thinking about writing something for this article, but
from Utsuro-san

“This is a gift for you!!”

Since the draft article I received is already put together, I'll only be writing the bare minimum (lol)

So, please go ahead and read from below👍

Thank you for writing this, Utsuro-san💓

Do you have anything that makes you think
“As long as I have this, I'll be fine”
during an important moment?

For me, it's the
keychain that swings along with my keys,
“a small photo of my beloved dog”.

Actually, this keychain
was just something I bought on a whim
to adjust my balance to use a coupon
on an overseas shopping site.

Let me tell you the story of how this item,
which came into my possession as an “afterthought,”
became my strongest “lucky charm” during the moments that shaped my life.

With trembling hands and persistent anxiety

It was
the day of the interview to become a full-time employee at my current company.

I have bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder,
so I am extra sensitive to pressure.

That day, too,
I was so nervous
that I could almost hear my heartbeat in my ears.

Even though I had been working part-time for half a year...

Even so,
back then, when my anxiety disorder was severe,
I had no peace of mind,
to the point where I would overreact to even the most casual comments.

My hands and feet were shaking, and my mind was filled with
“What if I fail...” anxiety about the
future.

When I reached into my pocket feeling like I wanted to run away,
what my fingertips touched was
that keychain.

My dog’s smile awakened my true feelings

I gently gripped the
keychain in my pocket,
and pictured the innocent smile of my dog
on it.

That warm presence
waiting for me at home.

Just by being there,
a presence that affirms everything about me.

The moment that passion spread through my heart,
strangely, my trembling subsided just a little,

“I will face this as my true self”

and that courage welled up inside me.

During the interview,
the interviewer asked me this.

“What is the thing you value
most?”

Without hesitation,
I took the keychain out of my pocket
and showed it to them.

“I always carry this keychain of my dog
as a good luck charm.

This dog is a member of my family,
and I will never change the mindset that I work for my family.”

At an interview before joining the company,
to say something like that
might have been clumsy of me.

But,
I felt that there was no longer any point
in lying and pretending to be someone else.

Not erasing anxiety, but moving forward with a “support”

The result was that I passed.

Along with the joy,
I realized that not hiding my true feelings
had ultimately helped me.

From this experience,
I learned something.

That is,

People don't move forward only after their anxiety disappears,
but rather, if they have 'support,' they can move forward even while feeling anxious.

That is what it means.

What supported me was not the words of some great person,
but simply the warmth of a precious presence by my side.

And, what supports your heart
does not need to be something 'special' from the start.

Even a casual item bought with a coupon adjustment
can become a one-of-a-kind charm in the world
if you layer your own story onto it.

To you, who feels like you might lose sight of yourself

Even now, whenever I go out,
I always take this keychain with me.

If you are currently
facing an important situation

'Someone like me won't make it' and

if there is anyone trying to hide their true feelings,
I have something I want to tell you.

You don't have to become a perfect version of yourself.

Even while holding onto your anxiety,
please try to take just one step forward,
clutching something tightly with trembling hands.

Within you, too,
your very own 'little charm'
must surely be hidden.

Clap clap~!!!

Utsuro-san!!
That's some top-notch writing, isn't it!!

I'm moved that you explain things better than I do✨

Actually, this time, I had the pleasure of recording a podcast lasting about two hours with Utsuro-san!!

'So, you were doing it, weren't you?'

Please enjoy how carried away Yohaku gets when being pressed like that!!

This is my second time talking on Yohaku's note, so this might be a super rare voice recording~♬

Check it out!!!

Thank you for reading this far.
In this note, I write about the days of working while carrying invisible hardships.
I am writing little by little about how to work without breaking down.

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