Short comic ↓
I once asked someone who had lashed out while drinking:
“What were you thinking—and what did you want most?”
He answered, “I wanted to be treated gently.”
“I know that if I endure this pain, the light will surely return.
That is self-esteem.”
“The stress of lacking confidence.”
“If there comes a time when you have to leave a safe place and learn on your own,
wouldn’t that be incredibly painful?”
These are words by my favorite author, Yuko Sugahara（菅原 裕子 さん）.
Even as adults,
the stress of lacking confidence doesn’t simply disappear.
Even as adults, there are still so many important things in life.
Like the man I mentioned at the beginning,
there seem to be many people whose hearts are still wandering.
His words were simple,
but they carried something truly important.
I’m not some perfect or purely good person, either.
Because I’m someone who easily senses the feelings and hearts of others,
I want to take my time and gently deepen this ability
through conversation, using words.
Happy New Year.
