御用納め
今年の業務も後一日を残すのみ。明日は御用納め。
毎年の事ながら、この時期になると一年を振り返り、「今年はどんなんだったかなー・・・」などと考える。ところが近年、一生懸命振り返ってはみるが、何をして一年が過ぎたのかよく判らない。アッという間に一年が過ぎ、などと皆がよく云うが、本当にその通り。過ぎ去った時は本当に早い。
多分、時の流れに身を任せ・・的な日々を送っているから、結果的に何をしたのか良く判らない、などと云う情けない事になってしまっているのであろう。
でも結果をみれば、総じて先ず先ず。市況の厳しさは相変わらずながら、経費削減と危機意識の効果か、売上は微増ながら収支バランスは何とか取れた様だ。また、個人的にも特に何か、と云う事無く、総じて平穏無事。
欲な事を言わず、この平穏無事に感謝、感謝。先ずは生きて居る事に感謝しなければ・・・。
と云うのが、実は一昨日、私の高校の時の恩師が亡くなった。それもおん歳６９歳。現役の町長で、元気も意欲も満々であったのに。聞くところによると業務中の突然死で、それこそアッと云う間もない状況であったとか。
その訃報を聞いて以来、死と云うものが小生の頭の中を駆け巡っている。先生は最後に自分の死を持って、私ら生徒に教えを説かれたのかも・・・そんな気がする。
「朝に道を聞き、夕に死すも可なり」、そんな言葉があったように思うが、まさにその通り。一分先の命を保証できる人は神以外には存在するまい。まことに儚いと思うが、儚さ故に日々充実した時を過ごさないと、この世に生を受けた意味がない。
一年を振り返って、何をしたのかよく判らない。こんな事ではどうしようもない・・・。来年はもう少し計画的に物事を進め、年末に、「やった、やった」と云える、意識明瞭な日々を送ることに努めよう・・・・。
There is only one day left in this year’s work. Tomorrow is the end of my business.
As is the case every year, I look back on the year and think, “What was it like this year…? In recent years, however, I’ve tried my best to look back, but I’m not sure what I’ve done over the past year. People often say that a year has gone by in a blink of an eye, and it’s true. The time has passed really quickly.
Probably because I’m living my days in the flow of time, I don’t know what I’ve done as a result of it.
But if you look at the results, as a whole, first things first. Although the market conditions remain severe, the company seems to have managed to maintain its balance of payments despite a slight increase in sales, perhaps due to cost-cutting and crisis awareness. In addition, there was nothing in particular for me personally, and I was generally safe and sound.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this peace and safety, without greed. First of all, I have to be grateful to be alive…
In fact, the day before yesterday, my mentor from my high school passed away. She is also 69 years old. He was a sitting mayor who had a lot of energy and drive. I heard that he died suddenly in the middle of his work, and it was in no time at all.
Ever since I heard of his death, the thought of his death has been running through my mind. Maybe the teacher had his own death at the end to teach us students… I feel like that.
I think there was a saying, “It is possible to hear the way in the morning and to die in the evening”, and that’s exactly what it is. There is no one but God who can guarantee a minute’s life ahead. I think it is truly ephemeral, but there is no point in being born into this world if you don’t spend your days in the fullness of your ephemerality.
Looking back on the year, I’m not sure what I’ve done. There’s nothing I can do about this… Next year, I’ll try to be a little more organized and have a clearer mind at the end of the year where I can say “I did it, I did it”…
