Finding Peace in the Place I Chose to Live — June 29, 2026 (Monthly )Reiwa8

After returning home from the hospital with a broken shoulder, I came back to my small apartment to live alone again.

My husband stayed for a few days to help me and then returned to Shizuoka.

I was truly grateful for everything he did.

And yet, after he left, I realized something very important.

I want to spend the rest of my life in a quiet, uncluttered space that is easy to keep clean.

My husband and I have been married for more than forty years.

Our disagreements were rarely about major events.

Instead, they grew out of small everyday things.

Food crumbs left behind.

Too many belongings.

Different ideas about tidying up.

Different ways of approaching work.

Throughout my life, I had to balance teaching, housework, raising our children, and managing our household.

To make everything work, I learned to think ahead and prepare as early as possible.

My husband is different.

He becomes completely absorbed in his work.

He truly loves his profession as a certified public psychologist, and I respect his dedication.

But while he focused on his work, many of the everyday responsibilities naturally fell to me.

When we were younger, I accepted that as part of our life.

Now our children have grown up, and I have retired.

At this stage of life, I have finally begun to think about how I want to spend the years ahead.

That is why I treasure the life I have created here in Matsuyama.

My apartment is not large.

Even so, living with only what I truly need gives me a sense of peace and freedom.

There is a possibility that my husband will move here in the future.

I am not rejecting that idea.

I have only one wish.

Please don't change the way I have chosen to live.

I hope we can keep our home uncluttered, clean, and comfortable for both of us.

After more than forty years of marriage, I know that changing another person is not easy.

Instead of trying to change him, I want to protect the life that finally feels right for me.

Breaking my shoulder helped me realize this more clearly than ever before.

For the remaining years of my life, I simply want to live in a place where I can truly feel at peace.

#Marriage #SeniorLife #SimpleLiving #Minimalism #LifeAfterRetirement #Home #Recovery #BrokenShoulder #LivingWithIntention #note