The day began with a call from my dad, telling me he’d locked himself out of his apartment and couldn’t get in. So, at 8:30 in the morning, I rushed to his rescue.
Fast forward to 5:30 in the afternoon, when I was with my little sister, watching him drive off to my mom’s house — it turned into a full family day.
I ended the day with my routine run past 9:30 pm. What started as a family-focused day turned into a full-body workout as well.
By the end of it, I felt incredibly at peace and grateful for everything I have.
Here’s how my week 1,529 unfolded.
1. What I read.
I started reading The Illness Called Highly Educated Parents (『高学歴親という病』) by Naoko Narita and got through the first few pages.
The quote that stuck with me:
“Many mothers and fathers raising children have at some point made a firm decision: “My own parents used to hit me, so I won’t do the same,” or “They never listened to me, so I’ll be the kind of parent who listens.”
However, because they only know the parenting pattern they experienced, they end up raising their children the same way they were raised.
Even though they question their own parents’ approach to parenting, they unconsciously end up imitating them.”（子育て中のお母さん、お父さんの多くが、「自分の親は子どもをすぐに叩く人だったから、私は叩かないようにしよう」「話を聞いてくれなかったから、僕は聞く耳のある親になろう」と一度は決意します。ところが、自分が経験したパターンしか知らないため、つい育てられたように育ててしまいます。自分の親の子育てに疑問を持っているのに、無意識のうちに親を真似てしまいます。）
2. Who I saw.
A colleague who had transferred to the Paris office returned to the Tokyo office for a day to give a sharing session about his first couple of months of experience there.
The little details I observed:
I find that this company has done a great job spreading its culture across global offices. Since joining, I’ve had chances to visit the HQ and the hub in the APAC region, and what impresses me is how well we work together across different offices, time zones, and countries with various cultures.
Listening to his session, I noticed certain values shared in common between the Tokyo office and the Paris office, which reinforced my impression of the company’s success. That said, the market demand they face in Paris and what we face here in Tokyo seemed quite different — Paris being a more mature market, while Tokyo still feels like one that is in the early stages of growth. It was insightful to hear how he had to adjust himself to address the specific needs of French merchants.
Not only was it very nice to see that he’s been doing well, but seeing how much he’s grown also inspired me to keep growing myself.
3. What I created.
The story behind it:
Writing a review after finishing a book I enjoyed has become one of my regular routines. It helps me reflect on the content and organize my thoughts. I’ve also found that reviewing a book makes the content stick in my memory much better and for longer, compared to when I just move on without doing so.
Next Week’s Peek — What I’m looking forward to and why
Today, I’m meeting up with a group of friends from junior high and high school — people I went to school with before transferring to a school in the U.S. I haven’t seen some of them since Seijin-shiki (the Coming of Age Ceremony) nearly a decade ago, so I’m really looking forward to catching up.
It’s also just a couple of weeks before my summer break. I’ve given myself a small assignment to complete before the break starts, so I want to make sure I enjoy it as much as it allows.
Hope you had a great week.
Catch you next week!