Why a year-end party?

 

The year-end party at the Chinese restaurant was held last night.
I had a drink in Shinjuku with my seniors and juniors from the university's pathology department.
It was the first year-end party in four years because it was 2019.
This is the only one, since there is no year-end party at work this year, too, but it's fun to walk around the bustling downtown area at the end of the year.

The restaurant was quite popular and full of people.
Most of them were a large group of people, like at a holiday party.
Some people seemed to be having a good time, while others seemed to be having a less than perfect time.
We were just a group of people who liked to drink and talk.
We didn't exchange much information, and before we knew it, it was past 10 p.m. because everyone was talking about unimportant things.

The end-of-year party, which once disappeared due to the Corona disaster, seems to be making a comeback of sorts.
I don't really understand why there are year-end parties.
For more than 30 years since I started working, I have been drinking at the end of the year.
Why is it necessary to have such a party at this busy time of the year?
It may be that someone who likes to have a party leads the way, but there have also been times when people who don't drink much have been happy to plan the event for me.
A drinking party has always been one of the most enjoyable events for people.
We returned safely to the museum without being drenched in alcohol. It was a pity that it was cloudy and we could not see the stars again, but we were lucky that there were no problems on the train and no falls while walking.
However, I slept less than usual today and my head hurts a little.
Be careful not to drink too much.

How should I develop?

I turned 60 today.
My wife and son celebrated with me as I was heading out the door this morning.
I was genuinely surprised; I had assumed it would be an ordinary day since they had already held a dinner party for me last weekend.

It still feels strange to think that today is my 60th birthday.
Sixty years is a long time to have lived.
First of all, I want to thank my parents for giving birth to me and raising me, my wife for walking through life with me, and everyone who has been part of my journey.
And of course, I am grateful to the readers of this blog for their support.

At the moment, I have no major health problems—other than taking medication for high blood pressure, dealing with some back pain, and still working on my molars at the dentist.
Unless a missile from another country falls on me, I get into a traffic accident, or I happen to run into a street riot, I should still have some years left to live.

Aging does not simply mean approaching death.
If everyone died exactly at 80, that might be the case—but life expectancy is different for each of us.
It might be more accurate to say that I’ve survived another year.
Still, the remaining years are not unlimited, and life does not offer a second lap.

How I make the most of this extended life is entirely up to me.
My two children are independent now, so I no longer need to worry about them.
It is enough to live honestly and faithfully with my wife, without betraying each other.
Beyond that, my remaining role in society is what people call “later life.”

Fortunately—or unfortunately—I am not in a position where my absence would cause great trouble, but that does not mean I have accomplished nothing.
I am working today, and I will continue to work tomorrow and for some time to come.
Am I the only one living such a life?
It is not a question of the meaning of existence, but rather whether there is some part of my life that might still be useful to others.

My work now depends on supplementing my declining processing capacity with experience.
One way to pass on that experience is through the publication of the second edition of my book.
Another is to help create a better working environment for pathologists.
I think my next mission in life will be to live with these goals in mind.

Even if I want to work hard, I cannot work in the same way young people do.
So it is better to seek a different way of giving my best—one that allows for a more relaxed way of living.