In the End, I Still Have to Think for Myself

AI can organize an overloaded schedule and make the chaos look manageable. But it cannot create more hours in the day—or do the thinking that each task ultimately requires.

I had taken on so much work that I could no longer keep track of everything, so I finally turned to AI for help.

For the time being, it drew up a work schedule for me.

I thought, “I see. This is the order in which I should tackle things,” and I felt considerably calmer. I was very grateful for that.

I then began working through my tasks according to the AI’s instructions, but somehow, things were not quite as I had expected.

In the end, although AI can help me with many parts of the work, I still have to think for myself and deal with each task one by one.

And the greatest problem is that the amount of time available to me has not increased at all.

What is more, whenever even a small gap opens in my schedule, I immediately put another task into it.

It is like throwing a pile of wooden blocks into a toy box that cannot grow any larger, tapping them down from above, and finding that the blocks have settled just enough to create one more tiny space.

In any case, the clutter inside the toy box may have become slightly more organized.

But if I keep throwing new blocks into every space that opens up, I will soon be back where I started.

Unless I think through each problem myself and solve it, the blocks will never be put away.

I have to do something before the blocks I put in first become impossible to retrieve.

And so, once again, I find myself feeling anxious today.

AI may help arrange the blocks, but only I can take them out and deal with them one by one.

・・・

keep track of
To remain aware of the details, progress, or location of something.
状況や進捗を把握する。

draw up a schedule
To prepare or create a detailed plan or timetable.
予定表や計画を作成する。

tackle a task
To begin dealing with a difficult job or problem in a determined way.
仕事や問題に取り組む。

according to
In a way that follows a particular plan, rule, or instruction.
〜に従って、〜に基づいて。

one by one
Individually and in sequence, rather than all at once.
一つずつ、順番に。

a gap in one’s schedule
A short period of free time between planned activities.
予定の合間にできる空き時間。

settle
To move into a lower or more compact position after being shaken or pressed.
揺らしたり押したりした後に、下へ詰まる。

clutter
A disorganized collection of things that makes a space look crowded or untidy.
ごちゃごちゃしたもの、散らかった状態。

be back where one started
To return to the same difficult situation after trying to improve it.
元の状態に戻る、元の木阿弥になる。

retrieve
To find and bring back something that has become difficult to reach.
取り出す、回収する。

#TimeManagement, #ArtificialIntelligence, #WorkOverload, #Japanese doctor, #pathology

Losing Our Sense of Being Flesh-and-Blood Humans

Modern comforts protect us from heat, fatigue, and inconvenience, while AI now helps relieve mental confusion. But as discomfort disappears, are we also losing something essential to being human?

The rainy season skies have continued, and I am grateful that the temperature has not risen too much.

I am particularly pleased that the nights have remained relatively bearable.

Still, the rainy season is now approaching its final stage.

This is a time when the weather can become unpredictable, so we must remain prepared for whatever may come.

In modern society, we live surrounded by artificial environments and machines. As a result, I sometimes feel that we are gradually losing our physical sense of what it means to be flesh-and-blood human beings.

Air-conditioned rooms.

Trains chilled almost excessively by powerful cooling systems.

Cars that allow us to travel almost anywhere with little physical effort.

All of these have been designed to make our lives more comfortable, and I do not think there is anything wrong with them.

Still, there are moments when I wonder what heat really felt like, or what it truly meant to walk.

There were nights when it was difficult to sleep because of the heat, yet somehow, after finally falling asleep, I would wake the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed.

There was also the relief of finally resting my legs after walking so far that they felt as stiff as sticks.

Before I knew it, such sensations had become memories from the distant past.

I feel that something similar may now be happening to the way we think.

My work had finally become completely backed up, so I consulted AI.

It first told me to list every task I was carrying and all the relevant deadlines.

I wrote down as many as I could remember and presented the list. The AI then offered an orderly plan, almost as though it were saying, “All right, calm down.”

Of course, I still have to deal with each individual task myself. But once the priorities and procedures had been organized, I could see how it might be possible to complete them one by one.

Or rather, I simply calmed down.

After all, a human being can only do one thing at a time.

And yet, when work piles up, we try to respond to several matters simultaneously, rather like Prince Shōtoku, who, according to legend, could listen to several people speaking at once.

But such a thing is fundamentally impossible.

“Multitasking” is sometimes described as a valuable skill, but in reality, it merely means chopping our work into the smallest possible pieces.

We are not concentrating on several tasks at once.

We are simply switching our attention rapidly from one task to another.

I am glad that I asked AI to help organize my work.

The tasks that had become tangled together in my head like a tightly knotted ball of yarn began to loosen, allowing me to face them one at a time. That was an enormous help.

However, when I repeatedly bring difficult problems to AI and have them sorted out, I wonder whether I may eventually lose even the sensation of overwhelming busyness—the urgency of having several responsibilities pressing upon me at once.

Artificial systems soften heat and physical exhaustion, while AI organizes confusion and anxiety.

As we gradually let go of each unpleasant sensation associated with being flesh-and-blood human beings, what will ultimately remain of us?

Thinking about that leaves me with a certain sadness.

The more comfortably we are protected from discomfort, the more carefully we may need to remember what it once meant to feel fully human.

・・・

flesh-and-blood
Describing a real, living human being with physical feelings, weaknesses, and limitations.
生身の。肉体や感情、弱さをもつ現実の人間を表す。

bearable
Not pleasant, but not so difficult or uncomfortable that it cannot be accepted.
耐えられる、何とか我慢できる。

unpredictable
Likely to change suddenly or behave in a way that cannot be known in advance.
予測できない、先の読めない。

artificial environment
A setting created or controlled by human technology rather than by nature.
人工的な環境。自然ではなく、人間の技術によって作られた環境。

backed up
Delayed or accumulated because too many tasks or demands have not been completed.
仕事などが滞っている、たまっている。

relevant deadline
The date by which a particular task must be completed.
その仕事に関係する締め切り。

Prince Shōtoku
A historical Japanese prince who, according to legend, could understand several people speaking to him at the same time.
聖徳太子。複数の人の話を同時に聞き分けたという伝説で知られる日本の皇族。

fundamentally impossible
Impossible at the most basic level or in its essential nature.
根本的に不可能な、土台無理な。

chop something into pieces
To divide something into many small parts. Here, it refers to breaking work into very small fragments.
細かく分割する。ここでは、仕事を細切れにすること。

a tightly knotted ball of yarn
A metaphor for thoughts or problems that have become deeply tangled and difficult to separate.
固く絡まった毛糸玉。考えや問題が複雑に絡み合った状態の比喩。

#ModernLife, #ArtificialIntelligence, #HumanExperience, #JapaneseDoctor, #Pathology

When Work Piles Up, Tchaikovsky Takes Over

Deadlines, peer reviews, manuscripts, and conference presentations are piling up all at once. As Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture begins to thunder inside my head, I try to turn panic into determination.

Yesterday, I received a reminder that my peer review was due on July 6.

I was surprised to realize that an entire week had already passed since I accepted it.

I had assumed that the paper would be manageable because it dealt with my own specialist field. However, the research described in it was, naturally enough, at the cutting edge of the field.

For an “old-fashioned pathologist” like me, it turned out to be a rather demanding assignment.

Without this review, I might somehow have managed all my other commitments. But it is too late for such thoughts now.

Even if my newly acquired knowledge is only superficial, I must study the subject and complete the review somehow.

I am now paying the price for accepting one task after another without thinking carefully enough about the future.

I have three manuscripts to finish.

One of them involves reorganizing six previously written articles into a single feature article. It does not have to be written entirely from scratch, but the workload still feels equivalent to producing two full manuscripts.

There are also two conference presentations to prepare.

I began working on one of them relatively early. With the other, however, I made the same mistake as I did with the peer review.

“I’ll manage somehow,” I thought.

But academic knowledge advances day by day, and things are rarely as simple as they first appear.

I have conference presentations coming up in two weeks, at the beginning of September, and again at the beginning of October.

Research meetings and committee meetings are scattered chaotically between them.

I am at the point where I would gladly borrow even a cat’s paw, as the Japanese expression goes.

Of course, my colleagues are helping me. Even so, when work is delegated to someone else, it rarely proceeds exactly as I had imagined.

Then Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture began playing inside my head.

Its furious finale went round and round, making me feel as though I might lose my mind.

For a moment, I wanted to run away from everything.

But running away is not really an option.

Perhaps I should think of this as a grand stage prepared for me to fight one final, spectacular campaign during the few remaining years of my active career.

That is what I have decided to believe.

And so, I am writing down my resolve here first.

What worries me most is the possibility that there are still other tasks I have completely forgotten.

Whenever I return to reality, I remember that my routine diagnostic work and administrative responsibilities are also piled high.

The realization brings me close to despair.

Nevertheless, I have no intention of hiding or running away.

I might as well stand my ground and face everything head-on.

With Tchaikovsky thundering in my head, I will step onto the stage and accept the challenge.

・・・

peer review
The process in which specialists evaluate a research paper before publication.
査読。専門家が学術論文の内容を評価すること。

at the cutting edge
Using or involving the most advanced knowledge, ideas, or technology.
最先端で。最も進んだ知識や技術を扱って。

old-fashioned
Belonging to an earlier style or way of thinking.
古いタイプの、昔ながらの。

a demanding assignment
A task that requires considerable effort, skill, or concentration.
負担が大きく、努力や能力を必要とする仕事。

pay the price for
To suffer the consequences of an earlier decision or action.
以前の判断や行動のツケを払う。

from scratch
From the very beginning, without using anything already prepared.
ゼロから、最初から。

delegate
To give a task or responsibility to another person.
仕事や責任を他人に任せる。

stand one’s ground
To refuse to retreat and face a difficult situation firmly.
逃げずに踏みとどまる、堂々と立ち向かう。

face something head-on
To deal with a difficult problem directly and courageously.
問題に正面から立ち向かう。

#WorkOverload, #AcademicLife, #Tchaikovsky, #JapaneseDoctor, #Pathology

Japan Is Such a Livable Country—and Yet

As Europe faces extreme heat, Japan’s humid summer offers a reminder of how much everyday comfort depends on reliable infrastructure.

July.

The rainy season is now entering its latter half, and the damp, muggy days continue.

I suppose I should regard this period as a chance for heat acclimatization before the truly severe summer heat arrives—an opportunity to sweat a little and allow my body to adjust.

Heat acclimatization is the process by which the body gradually becomes accustomed to hot conditions. It improves our ability to sweat and regulate body temperature more efficiently.

Europe, too, has reportedly been experiencing a prolonged spell of hot weather.

I had assumed that even when temperatures rose, the lower humidity would make the heat easier to tolerate than it is in Japan.

However, in dry air, sweat evaporates quickly. People may therefore fail to notice how much fluid they are losing and become dehydrated more easily than expected.

The sunlight can also be as intense as, or even stronger than, that in Japan. It must be extremely difficult.

Perhaps the greatest hardship is that air conditioning is still not widely installed in many private homes in Europe.

In Japan, television programs repeatedly urge people not to hesitate to use their air conditioners. Such advice seems to assume that nearly every household already has one.

In that sense, Japan maintains a remarkably high minimum standard of everyday infrastructure.

Heated toilet seats with washing functions can be found almost everywhere. Sewage and drainage systems are generally reliable, and toilet paper can normally be flushed without causing problems.

These things feel perfectly ordinary when we live in Japan, but they are by no means universal.

From this perspective, Japan remains a very comfortable country in which to live.

It is easy to understand why the number of inbound tourists—people visiting Japan from overseas—continues to remain high.

The real question is how Japan can turn this combination of convenience, safety, and dependable social infrastructure into a source of national strength as its economic influence declines.

That may be one of the country’s major challenges in the years ahead.

And since we have to endure this heat anyway, perhaps we should find some way to make use of it and turn it into something valuable.

This is ultimately less about Japan itself than about the broader problem of global warming, so there is unlikely to be any simple solution. 

A country’s strength may lie not only in what it produces, but also in how comfortably it allows people to live.

・・・

heat acclimatization
The process of gradually becoming physically accustomed to hot conditions.
暑熱順化。身体を徐々に暑さに慣らすこと。

muggy
Unpleasantly warm and humid.
蒸し暑い、じめじめした。

regulate body temperature
To control and maintain the body’s temperature within a safe range.
体温を調節する。

prolonged spell
A period of particular weather or conditions that continues for a relatively long time.
長く続く一定の天候や状態。

dehydrated
Having lost too much water from the body.
脱水状態になった。

minimum standard
The lowest acceptable level of quality or service.
最低限の水準。

inbound tourists
Visitors who enter a country from overseas for travel.
海外からその国を訪れる旅行者。訪日外国人旅行者。

social infrastructure
The systems and facilities that support everyday life, such as transport, sanitation, healthcare, and utilities.
交通、衛生、医療、公共設備など、日常生活を支える社会基盤。

#ExtremeHeat, #LifeInJapan, #SocialInfrastructure, #JapaneseDoctor, #Pathology

You Can't Change People, So Change the System Instead

Many workplace problems are often blamed on individuals. However, modern management and quality improvement suggest a different approach: rather than trying to change people, redesign the system in which they work. This idea applies not only to healthcare but to any organization.

In television dramas and movies, we often hear lines like:

"If you truly want to change, you can."

Of course, people can change.

But genuine change usually happens only when a person sincerely desires it, and even then, it takes a long time and occurs little by little.

Expecting someone to change simply because another person tells them to is unrealistic. Human beings are far more complex than that.

Trying to change people is, in many cases, an impossible task.

When the right person is in the right role, organizations tend to function smoothly.

In reality, however, that is not always the case.

Some people are clearly mismatched with their roles without realizing it themselves.

They may believe they are contributing fully, while those around them struggle because of the way they work.

Since there is no ill intention, the situation becomes even more difficult to address.

Telling someone repeatedly to "be more careful" or "think about others" rarely produces the change we hope for.

What we need instead is a shift in perspective.

Rather than trying to change people, we should change the system.

Review responsibilities, adjust workloads, and redesign roles so that each person can make the best use of their strengths.

Create a workflow that prevents the burden from falling only on the most capable individuals.

The thing that should be changed is not the person, but the environment in which that person works—the system itself.

The same principle applies in healthcare.

Modern patient safety and quality management no longer rely simply on telling people to "be more careful."

Instead, they focus on designing systems that reduce the likelihood of mistakes, regardless of who performs the task.

After all, people make mistakes.

No one can do a perfect job every single time.

Perhaps organizational management is fundamentally the same.

This way of thinking should not be directed only toward others.

I should also ask myself what role I play within my own organization and where I can contribute most effectively.

In the end, successful management is not about expecting people to change.

It is about improving the system.

That, I believe, is the most practical way to help both people and organizations thrive.

People are not always easy to change—but a well-designed system can help everyone perform at their best. 

・・・

• shift in perspective – 発想の転換
• right person in the right role – 適材適所
• mismatched – 適性が合っていない、不適合の
• workload – 業務量、仕事量
• workflow – 業務の流れ、ワークフロー
• patient safety – 医療安全
• quality management – 品質管理
• regardless of – ～に関係なく
• thrive – 成功する、活躍する、繁栄する

Organ Transplantation Seems to Be Taking a Step into Its Next Stage

Japan is preparing for clinical trials involving the transplantation of genetically modified pig kidneys into humans. This development suggests that xenotransplantation may soon move from experimental medicine toward practical clinical use. For pathologists and transplant physicians, however, the challenge will not end with making transplantation possible; the transplanted organ must also be carefully monitored and maintained.

This morning, I heard the news that preparations are underway in Japan for clinical trials involving the transplantation of genetically modified pig kidneys into humans.

It made me feel that organ transplantation is finally beginning to take a step into its next stage.

If we think of the human body simply as a combination of organs with different functions, all that should be necessary is for a transplanted organ to adapt to the recipient’s body and continue functioning properly.

One of the greatest obstacles to that adaptation, however, is rejection.

If technologies for controlling rejection continue to advance, and if problems such as coagulation abnormalities and infections can also be overcome, transplantation from another species into humans—xenotransplantation—may become part of actual clinical medicine.

Transplantation of major organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, lungs, and intestines, is already performed as part of routine medical care.

In Japan, however, transplantation still depends heavily on living donors, often relatives, while the number of organs donated after death remains insufficient.

The addition of transplantation from pigs as a new option would therefore be groundbreaking.

Of course, this would mean taking the life of a pig, so it cannot be said to raise no ethical concerns.

Nevertheless, because pigs have long been raised by humans as livestock, particularly for food, the ethical barrier may be considered somewhat lower than it would be with other animals.

Pig pericardium is already widely used as a medical material.

One of the areas that pathologists find particularly difficult is the diagnosis of transplanted organs.

I often examine transplanted kidneys, and the diagnosis can be remarkably challenging.

The kidney filters waste products from the blood. It is composed of many different structures, including blood vessels that carry blood, tubules that transport the filtered fluid, and the interstitium that supports them.

Rejection, drug toxicity, and infections can each appear differently within these structures.

Are the blood vessels damaged?

Are the tubules affected?

Is the interstitium inflamed?

Could there be an infection that was not present before transplantation, or one that is unusual in humans?

To what extent is each lesion contributing to dysfunction of the transplanted kidney?

Identifying individual histological findings is possible to a certain degree.

Integrating them into a single diagnosis and communicating that diagnosis clearly to the clinicians, however, is not easy.

Clinicians combine pathological findings with blood tests, urine tests, imaging studies, and other clinical data in order to maintain the transplanted organ and preserve its function for as long as possible.

Advances in artificial intelligence are likely to change this diagnostic process.

AI can already assist in organizing and analyzing clinical data.

When a pathologist provides the individual histological findings, AI may be able to integrate them and suggest the most likely pathological processes.

Through several rounds of discussion between the pathologist and AI, it may become possible to reach a more accurate diagnosis of the transplanted organ.

Combining that assessment with clinical data may also make it possible to predict the risks of rejection and infection and to select more appropriate treatment and maintenance strategies.

In xenotransplantation as well, a time may come when AI integrates numerous factors, including the patient’s immunological background, general condition, and the characteristics of the genetically modified pig.

I hope that within the next several years, the barriers to organ transplantation will fall dramatically.

That does not mean, of course, that we humans will be free to neglect the maintenance of our own bodies.

Even in an age when organs may become replaceable, caring for the body we already have will remain our first responsibility.

・・・

genetically modified
Altered through biotechnology by adding, removing, or changing specific genes.
遺伝子改変された

clinical trial
A research study conducted with human participants to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a medical treatment.
臨床試験、治験

recipient
A person who receives an organ, tissue, blood, or another medical treatment from a donor.
レシピエント、移植を受ける人

rejection
An immune reaction in which the recipient’s body attacks a transplanted organ or tissue.
拒絶反応

xenotransplantation
The transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another.
異種移植

living donor
A person who donates an organ or part of an organ while still alive.
生体ドナー

coagulation abnormality
A disorder affecting the normal process by which blood forms clots.
凝固異常

interstitium
The supporting tissue and space between the functional structures of an organ.
間質

drug toxicity
Tissue or organ damage caused by the harmful effects of a medication.
薬剤毒性

histological finding
An abnormality or feature identified by examining tissue under a microscope.
組織学的所見

integrate
To combine separate pieces of information into a unified interpretation.
統合する

immunological background
The characteristics of a person’s immune system that may influence reactions to infection or transplantation.
免疫学的背景

The Storms Have Passed, and Another Piece of the Showa Era Is Gone

Two typhoons passed through Japan without causing as much damage as feared, although some communities were still seriously affected. On the same day, the death of Akihiro Miwa brought another reminder that the cultural world of the Showa era is gradually disappearing—and raised a difficult question about what it means to live one’s life fully.

The pair of typhoons passed without leaving behind the extensive scars we had feared.

Even so, I imagine that some farmers and others suffered severe damage. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to everyone affected.

There has been a succession of deaths among well-known figures recently, and today came the news that Akihiro Miwa had passed away.

Miwa was also famous as a strikingly beautiful figure whose looks and talent were highly admired by Yukio Mishima.

I also remember feeling unsettled as a child by Black Lizard, in which Miwa played the leading role.

People often say that “another piece of the Showa era has faded into the distance.” Akihiro Miwa must surely have been one of the essential pieces that made up that era, particularly in the cultural history of Showa Japan.

In more recent years, Miwa had also offered advice on people’s personal troubles. I wonder whether someone like Miwa had troubles of his own.

Human beings must all die someday. That is perhaps why, while we are alive, we should try to live out our lives in our own way.

Yet if we keep pushing ourselves, we become exhausted. If we stop making an effort, time passes before we know it.

What does it really mean to live one’s life fully?

Even simply continuing to live is not always easy.

To live fully may mean neither striving without rest nor letting time slip away, but continuing to search for one’s own way of living.

・・・

leave behind scars
To cause lasting damage or painful memories.
傷跡を残す、長く残る被害をもたらす

my heartfelt sympathy goes out to
A formal expression used to show sincere concern for people who have suffered.
〜に心よりお見舞い申し上げる

a succession of
A number of similar events happening one after another.
相次ぐ、一連の

strikingly beautiful
So beautiful or impressive that the person immediately attracts attention.
ひときわ美しい、目を引くほど美しい

unsettled
Made to feel uneasy, disturbed, or slightly frightened.
不安にさせられた、落ち着かない気持ちになった

fade into the distance
To gradually become more remote, less vivid, or less present in people’s lives.
次第に遠ざかる、記憶の彼方へ薄れていく

live out one’s life
To continue living until the natural end of one’s life, often in a personally meaningful way.
人生を生き抜く、生をまっとうする

push oneself
To make oneself work or try harder, sometimes beyond a comfortable limit.
自分を追い込む、無理をして頑張る

before we know it
Used when something happens more quickly or unnoticed than expected.
気がつかないうちに、あっという間に

A Quick Walk Between Typhoons

With two typhoons approaching Japan, I had planned to spend the entire day indoors. However, when the rain unexpectedly stopped early in the morning, I took the opportunity to go for a short walk with Anne, my Flat-Coated Retriever, through the damp streets of Kamakura.

Since the day before yesterday, Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8 have been approaching Japan, so I had decided to stay home all day today. 

I was planning to spend the day as a complete couch potato, and I ended up staying up a little too late last night. However, when I happened to wake up, I noticed that it was not raining.

I turned on the television and heard that the rain was expected to stop for a while after six in the morning. So I quickly decided to take Anne, my Flat-Coated Retriever, out for a walk.

 

Typhoon No. 8 had already passed, leaving behind a brief spell of clearer weather. It felt much more pleasant outside than I had expected.

Sure enough, quite a few dogs we knew were also out for their morning walks.

Anne came into heat a few days ago and has not been feeling quite herself. Every now and then, she stopped in the middle of the walk.

Water was flowing down from the hills and across the roads, and the stream where we had gone to see fireflies a month earlier was swollen with rainwater.

A bakery that usually opens at around nine had opened before eight that morning, so I bought some bread for breakfast on the way home.

Typhoon No. 7 was expected to arrive next.

 

There had also been several earthquakes in the Tohoku region over the previous few days. The day before, a strong earthquake had struck Yamanashi, and we had felt the shaking in Kamakura as well.

Heavy rain can loosen the ground, so we need to be especially careful in Kamakura, with its many narrow valleys and surrounding hillsides.

For the rest of the day, I decided not to go out unnecessarily and to spend my time taking care of things around the house.

It was only a short walk, but the quiet break between the storms felt like a small gift.

・・・

between typhoons
「台風と台風の谷間に」という意味です。二つの台風の間にできた、一時的に天候が落ち着いた時間を表しています。

approach Japan
「日本に接近する」という表現です。台風や低気圧などが近づいてくる場合によく使われます。

a couch potato
家でテレビなどを見ながら、ほとんど体を動かさずに過ごす人を表す口語表現です。「ごろごろして過ごす人」というニュアンスがあります。

happen to wake up
「ふと目を覚ます」「たまたま目が覚める」という意味です。

a brief spell of clearer weather
「一時的に天気が回復した時間」という意味です。
spell は、ここでは「しばらく続く期間」を表します。

Sure enough
「案の定」「やはり」という意味です。予想していたことが実際に起こった場合に使います。

come into heat
雌の動物が「発情期に入る」という意味です。

not feel quite oneself
「いつもの調子ではない」「本調子ではない」という自然な表現です。

every now and then
「時折」「ときどき」という意味です。
sometimes よりも、会話的で柔らかい表現です。

be swollen with rainwater
川や小川が雨水によって「増水している」状態を表します。

loosen the ground
雨などによって「地盤を緩める」という意味です。

go out unnecessarily
「必要もないのに外出する」「無理に出かける」という意味です。

a small gift
直訳は「小さな贈り物」ですが、ここでは思いがけず得られた穏やかな時間を比喩的に表しています。

Van Gogh’s Wilted Sunflowers

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers are often remembered for their vivid yellow color and powerful sense of life. Yet even wilted sunflowers can possess a quiet beauty, reminding us to cherish flowers—and perhaps life itself—until the very end.

When I came home, I found a vase of wilted sunflowers.

They looked strangely familiar, so I asked my wife,

“Van Gogh’s Sunflowers?”

“You noticed,” she said. “Yes, exactly.”

Instead of throwing the flowers away simply because they had wilted, she continued to cherish them until the very end.

Cut flowers have already given us their lives. Perhaps Van Gogh, too, wanted to appreciate their beauty through every stage of their existence, even as they began to fade.

 

Of course, he may have been thinking about something entirely different.

Still, being able to imagine the thoughts of a great painter made me feel a little happier.

Even a fading flower can open a quiet window into the heart of an artist.

・・・

wilted
萎れた。水分を失い、花や葉がしおれた状態を表します。

strangely familiar
どこかで見たことがあるような、不思議と見覚えのある。

cherish
大切にする、慈しむ。愛情をもって扱うという意味です。

cut flowers
切り花。茎を切って花瓶などに生ける花。

through every stage of their existence
存在のあらゆる段階を通して。咲いているときから萎れるまで、という意味合いです。

fade
色あせる、衰える。ここでは花の美しさや生命力が静かに失われていく様子を表します。

imagine the thoughts of
〜の思いに心を馳せる、〜が何を考えていたのか想像する。

How We Choose to Feel Throughout Our Lives

The way we feel upon waking can shape the course of an entire day. But perhaps our mood is not entirely beyond our control. A small physical gesture—such as lifting the corners of the mouth—may help us regain calm, and over time, such modest efforts may even influence how we experience the later years of life.

People say that a good beginning leads to a good ending, and it is certainly true that much of the mood of a day is determined by how we feel when we wake up.

If I have slept well, open the window to find a blue sky, and breathe in the fresh air, that alone seems enough to promise a pleasant day.

But when I have had an unpleasant dream, woken several times during the night, and am greeted by the gray skies of the rainy season, as I was this morning, I somehow cannot get going.

The thought of spending the entire day in such a mood makes me feel gloomy. So, to prevent that from happening, I would like to cheer myself up by writing something positive.

As someone suggested in a comment yesterday, lifting the corners of my mouth really does seem to make me feel calmer.

After a while, however, the muscles in my face grow tired, and when I stop, my mood begins to sink again.

Then I think, “Oh dear,” lift them once more, and find myself returning to a calmer state. It is a curious thing.

I would like to keep the corners of my mouth raised all day today, though I wonder whether that is really possible.

If I managed it, I might have a remarkably good day.

Every part of the body works in coordination with every other part.

The human body stops growing at around the age of thirty, and from then on, it gradually begins to decline.

Even so, each part of the body develops its own ability to adapt, continually trying to maintain a comfortable state.

Apart from illness, we continue aging in this way until we die. And I sometimes feel that how we spend those nearly fifty years may determine whether our lives become better ones—or otherwise.

Perhaps even my remaining years would improve a little if I could do something about this habitually stern expression of mine.

And if I could be smiling at the moment of death, then surely I could say, “All’s well that ends well.”

Perhaps a good life begins not with constant happiness, but with the quiet effort to return to a gentler state of mind.

・・・ 

shape the course of something
To strongly influence how something develops or progresses.
何かの成り行きや展開を大きく左右すること。

beyond one’s control
Impossible for someone to manage, change, or prevent.
自分では管理したり変えたりできないこと。

lift the corners of one’s mouth
To raise the sides of the mouth slightly, as if beginning to smile.
口角を上げること。

get going
To begin functioning, working, or feeling energetic.
調子を出す、活動を始める。

gloomy
Sad, discouraged, or lacking hope.
憂鬱な、気分の沈んだ。

cheer oneself up
To do something that helps improve one’s mood.
自分自身を元気づける。

work in coordination with
To function together in an organized and connected way.
互いに連携して働く。

adapt
To change or adjust in order to cope with new conditions.
状況に応じて適応する。

habitually stern expression
A serious or unfriendly-looking facial expression that someone often has.
いつも浮かべている険しい表情、仏頂面。

All’s well that ends well.
An expression meaning that difficulties along the way matter less if the final result is good.
途中に問題があっても、最後がよければすべてよい、という意味の表現。

Rather Than Dwelling on Dissatisfaction, Turn It into Something Positive

A train delay can disrupt our daily routine and make an ordinary day feel frustrating. Yet even small inconveniences may offer us a chance to change our perspective. This reflection explores how dissatisfaction spreads, why it is difficult to think positively, and how the Japanese saying Saiō ga uma can help us accept the uncertainty of fortune and misfortune.

This morning, the Yamanote Line suspended service because of an accident involving a person, and I had no choice but to change my route to work.

When my daily routine changes, even slightly, I lose my rhythm and begin to feel dissatisfied.

Even the time I usually spend writing this blog becomes broken into small fragments.

Dissatisfaction tends to spread.

Once one part of my schedule goes wrong, all sorts of other things begin to bother me, and I start to feel as though the entire day is becoming a bad one.

Still, I wonder why I, as a human being, feel dissatisfied with so many things simply by being alive.

If even being alive itself made me feel dissatisfied, perhaps there would be little point in living.

And yet, I am not truly dissatisfied with life itself.

Deep down, I believe that being alive is a good thing.

Perhaps, then, I should try to transform such feelings of dissatisfaction into something positive.

The train is delayed, and I have to take an alternative route.

Instead of thinking, “What a nuisance,” I could tell myself, “I can enjoy a different view on my way to work,” or, “Even if I cannot get a seat, standing is good for my legs.”

But it is not so easy to think that way.

There is an old Japanese saying, Saiō ga uma, which teaches us that fortune and misfortune are unpredictable.

If I could put that wisdom into practice every day, perhaps even my sullen expression would soften into something closer to a smile.

Still, that is easier said than done.

Perhaps happiness begins not by eliminating dissatisfaction, but by leaving room for another way of seeing it.

・・・

dwell on
To keep thinking about something, especially something unpleasant.
「好ましくないことを、くよくよ考え続ける」

disrupt
To interrupt something and prevent it from continuing in its usual way.
「中断させる、混乱させる」

lose one’s rhythm
To become unable to continue at one’s usual pace or in one’s usual manner.
「いつもの調子を崩す」

dissatisfaction
A feeling of not being pleased or content with something.
「不満、不満足」

broken into small fragments
Divided into short and disconnected periods.
「細切れになる」

alternative route
A different way of reaching a destination.
「代替経路、別の道順」

What a nuisance.
An expression used when something is troublesome or inconvenient.
「なんて面倒なのだろう」

sullen expression
An unhappy, unfriendly, or gloomy facial expression.
「仏頂面、不機嫌な表情」

put something into practice
To actually use an idea, principle, or method.
「考えや教えを実践する」

easier said than done
Used to say that something sounds simple but is difficult to carry out.
「言うは易く行うは難し」

Saiō ga uma（塞翁が馬）
A Japanese expression derived from a Chinese story. It means that good and bad fortune are unpredictable, and that an unfortunate event may eventually lead to something good.
「幸運と不運は予測できず、災いが福に転じることもあるという意味」