I will be 60 years old this year. So this is my story. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be 60 years old.
The average life expectancy of Japanese people is 87.09 years for women and 81.05 years for men. There are still 21 years left until I reach that age.
These days, we often hear the term “healthy life expectancy'' in Japan. What this means is that even though the current average life expectancy of Japanese people is 81 years, that does not mean that they will live to that age in good health. The average life expectancy of Japanese women, including the years they spend bedridden in hospital, is 87 years old for women and 81 years old for men.
Let's think about it. I wonder if spending the last few years of my life bedridden in a hospital bed would be a happy thing for me. You can't do anything by yourself. For example, is it really possible to live a happy life when you cannot eat or go to the bathroom on your own?
What I need to think about now is what I should do at the age of 60 to avoid having to live such a life.
First of all, you will need to train your legs and hips. Being able to move around by walking on your own feet is the most important function of all. It is also important to use your mind every day to avoid developing dementia. If you think about it that way, even if I retire and no longer work, my days might be busy.
At my workplace, I have many colleagues who started working with me as new employees when we were 22 years old. One of them has severe diabetes and can no longer walk. Another person was unfortunately diagnosed with Parkinson's disease syndrome due to genetics. Another person recently fell at work and suffered a serious injury, breaking his shoulder. Oh my god.
When I was 22 years old, I never thought that 60 years old would be like this. Now, how should I deal with my life in the 20 years I have left?
The holiday week called Golden Week will soon be upon us in Japan. Many Japanese people probably don't understand the true meaning of "Golden".
This year's Golden Week is from April 27th to May 6th. Some people can take this period of rest in a row, while others cannot. It varies by company.
In my case, I have to work during this period, so I can't take days off. (In other words, it's not "Golden" to me)
I have been working for 38 years since I was 22 years old. During this time, there were only two occasions when I took more than 10 days off. The first time was when I got married and went on my honeymoon, and the second time was when I went mountain climbing in Borneo. Other than that, I never took long holidays. I think I did a good job, despite my efforts.
That's why I always worked during Golden Week. For me, this period has never been “Golden'' in the past 38 years. I can not believe that.
During Golden Week, many people travel or return home, so trains and roads across Japan become congested. It is almost the same as Chinese New Year. This kind of problem could be solved if each company or school had different holidays, but for some reason Japanese people don't think about that. That's why many people who took vacation during Golden Week feel exhausted after the holiday is over. They don't feel refreshed at all and return to work or school looking exhausted.
By the way, the name "Golden Week" seems to have been invented by a Japanese movie company a long time ago as an advertising slogan.
I will soon reach retirement age. Once that day comes, it will be Golden Week until the day I die.
We Japanese often use the adjective "すごい Sugoi." The word "すごい sugoi" has a wide range of meanings. When this word becomes an adverb, it becomes “すごく sugoku''.
First, let me give you an example of how to use this word.
すごい金持ち Sugoi-kanemochi super rich man
すごい野球選手 Sugoi-yakyu-sensyu Amazing baseball player
すごく嬉しい Sugoku ureshii very happy
すごくたいへん Sugoku taihen very difficult
Next, let's look at an example of a conversation to see how this word is used.
A : わたしは富士山にのぼりました Watashi wa Fujisan ni nobori mashita
B : それはすごいね Sore wa sugoi ne
C : かれは野球でホームランをたくさん打つよ Kare wa yakyu de homerun wo takusan utsu yo
D : かれはすごいよ Kare wa sugoi yo
A : きのう台風が来た Kino typhoon ga kita
B : すごい被害が起きてしまった Sugoi higai ga okite shimatta
C : あすは試験がある Asu wa shiken ga aru
D : わたしはそれがすごく怖い Watashi wa sore ga sugoku kowai
However, “すごい sugoi'' has a different meaning from the adjective “すばらしい subarashii.'' “すばらしい subarashii'' has the meaning of “wonderful,'' but “すごい sugoi'' does not really have the meaning of “wonderful.'' Here are some examples of incorrect usage of "すごい sugoi". This usage is a bit strange.
Bad Example;
E : わたしはあなたにギフトをおくりますWatashi wa anata ni gift wo okuri masu
F : それはすごい Sore wa sugoi
Bad Example;
G : わたしはあなたと遊びにいきます Watashi wa anata to asobi ni iki masu
H : それはすごい Sore wa sugoi
Finally, I would like to introduce some variations of this word that young people use. They say things like "すげえ Sugee," “すんげえ Sungee” and “すっげー Suggei” which all mean the same thing.