On May 25th Prime Minister Abe announced to lift the Emergency Declaration.
Almost two months “Stay Home” period in Japan is over.
I guess it might be some help for me to write down my thoughts during this period.
<Private Life>
Thanks to live in a house of suburban area, I could keep sufficient space both inside and outside of my house.
When I am tired of staying home, I can take a walk or jog lightly to a park near my house.
I did not expect to experience this kind of nest nesting life when I had decided to build my house in this area.
But now, I feel I was saved by my decision of long time ago.
The decision of younger age sometimes makes great influence on the retired life.
I used to go out my house to work and enjoy life in urban area and spend certain amount of money.
Even after retirement, I have many friends to enjoy running, chatting, having reunions and spent some money for joy.
However, as I am accustomed to the self-restraint life in my house, I find myself spend much less money as I used to with friends.
It costs mostly food expenses only to my wife and me.
Probably due to my poor imagination, I could not think of what to want to buy.
“Life can be wonderful if you’re not afraid of it. All it takes is courage, imagination… and a little dough.” by Charlie Chaplin
I might have a little dough, but so little imagination.
Just before COVID-19, I bought a body composition meter and my wife and I have measured our body composition every day. It shows multiple data of our body. We are very much pressed to develop (at least keep) our body conditions.
In addition, as I had bought a GPS watch for my wife this spring, we are pretty much under pressure for exercising.
Thanks for the pressure, we both have not eaten too much and jogged a couple of time a week and kept relatively good shape of our body as a result.
During this self-restraint life, I was invited two challenges;
The first one was “Steps to Space” invited by a friend who ran together at Eigar Ultra Trail Running in Switzerland last year.
Every challenge (finally 115 runners joined) steps up and down 5670 times in their own house to sum up over 100 km to reach “Space”
We completed successfully and made exciting video to post You Tube.
The second challenge was “7 days book cover introduction”;
This challenge was interesting because only the cover of books would be introduced without any explanation about contents of books.
My seven books were; a Japanese novel I read 50 years ago, Ilias by Homer, The Gallic War by Caesar, The Complete Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Daniels’ Running Formula by Jack Daniels and DNA Sequencer, a novel written by myself.
I recalled my past memories of having been reading and writing with fun.
These two challenges inspired me during the self-restraint period which had been forbidden any running competition, group running, and friendly meeting.
<Non-Private Life>
Another trial I did during that period was to write short memo regarding “The Foundation of United States of America and coming Presidential Election” in my blog. (Big Title!!)
I started from Pilgrim Fathers and Quakers to candidate Biden vs Sanders from the viewpoint of Southerners briefly.
(I lived in Atlanta Georgia for 6 years and a half)
While writing, I realized that USA has been quite affected by Christianity.
Against COVID-19, USA is now slam dunk loser, I think.
President Trump is blaming China and WHO, but it looks as if he is rubbing his mistakes to other people.
Looking from stock markets, US economy is coming back, but in reality, it should have deep problems such as serious unemployment. How do they do?
Those problems would affect a lot on the Presidential Election in November, I suppose.
As for Japanese Government, I found that they cannot help us quickly as needed.
It takes tremendously long time among three verbs, “consider”, “decide” and “act”
It is sad to say so, but unfortunately it is the fact.
We Japanese have to prepare by ourselves against coming disaster both physically and monetary including mental crisis.
One thing important is to save money.
Previously it is enough to save for living funds for three months equivalent, but it would be better for us to save for 12 months equivalent living funds to survive against the coming turbulence in the future.
This memo is for me to recollect my self-restrain life during COVID-19.
I am not sure if it helps somebody else.
If helpful, I am very glad to have written this blog.