By the time I become a grandmother

A town where I want to live.
A town that makes me want to live there.
A town of the future where I will live.

The future town I wish for, even if it is modern and functional, is
a town that does not forget the wisdom of the past and can pass it on.

While the theme of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is being chanted these days,
our lives are becoming increasingly convenient,
in other words, highly functional.

That is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Are the people who can achieve all those goals
the ones wearing badges on their suits?

I do not think so.
(This is not an insult to those wearing badges.)

If anything,
I feel that people who have long practiced this as common wisdom, and
children who will learn about the SDGs from now on,
have a far greater potential to get closer to those goals.

Because they are
the people who have hope for the future.
More so than the working generation in the middle.

Something happened today.

When I entered the supermarket right at opening time, which is rare,
in the local produce section,
there was a lady arranging vegetables harvested that morning.

The shelves were still mostly empty.
So as not to get in her way,
I did my other shopping first.

When I came back after finishing my rounds, about 60% of the shelves
were piled high with vegetables.

All of them were vegetables harvested in this town.
Above the producer's name,
the price was written by hand for each one.

As I approached with a slight bow,
the lady asked me if there were any vegetables I wanted.

As I struggled to answer,
she kindly taught me, saying, "You can eat this eggplant like this.
Oh, but for this eggplant, you should cut it in half and...

I felt a very fresh sensation.

Let's get back to the story.

Around the time the term SDGs started appearing in magazines and news programs,
I still did not know the term or the content of the SDGs.
As someone in the middle (age-wise), I felt so embarrassed,
that I chose and read a book with lots of pictures.

Unfortunately, it seems my brain's functions
are not good enough to remember all the content.

By the time I reach the age of that lady,
will the term SDGs still exist?

In a society that is certainly becoming more high-tech and complexly digitized,
will there be people left behind?
I am already at my limit now.

That is precisely why I want to live a grounded life,
pass that on, raise the next generation,
and live in a town that holds elderly people in high regard.

I hope to make efforts toward that,
little by little.

That is my goal.

I participated in this project.

Toi.