Canon's Diary

Thursday, May 29th. I woke up before six this morning. Since I had forgotten to cook rice last night, I had instant tomato soup and frozen fried rice for breakfast. When I opened the window, I was met with a cloudy sky. According to the weather forecast, it would start raining by tonight. The temperature was on the cooler side. I could hear the sounds of trucks and Hankyu trains passing by.

I brought in the laundry I had hung out yesterday and picked out a white dress shirt to wear. I had a tennis lesson scheduled after work today. Since I would be going by motorcycle, I might need a rain suit.

With the large umbrella I recently bought at the station in hand, I headed to the office. Since the company’s umbrella stand is full of similar umbrellas and there’s a high chance of losing mine, I stored it in my locker.

Today, there was a scheduled handover meeting for a project I’m in charge of—transferring responsibilities from the sales department to the design department. As I had to lead the meeting, I reviewed the specifications and drawings once more. I was truly grateful not to feel unwell like yesterday. Just being able to move my body makes it feel like the day is starting off calmly.

I cleared up any unclear points with the relevant members before the meeting. It had been a while since I led a meeting, so I was a little nervous, but I managed to guide it through smoothly.

I left the office at 5:00 p.m. The sky was still bright. Though it was cloudy, the rain hadn’t started yet. After getting home, I still had a bit of time before heading out for tennis, so I cooked a cup of rice and began prepping cabbage soup.

I had been thinking of trying a spinach and bacon cream pasta soon, but since I had a lesson today, I decided to go with something I was used to making. Last time, I made cabbage soup with a Western-style consomme base, but this time, I used soba noodle sauce, white dashi, bonito broth, and sesame oil for a Japanese-style twist. I was in a bit of a rush, so I ended up making more than I meant to. Well, it should be good for tomorrow’s breakfast and as a side soup for the pasta in the evening.

After getting the soup ready to be reheated later, I headed off for my tennis lesson. I took off the sunshade cover from my motorcycle for the first time in a while and hopped on. Since I had some extra time, I took a leisurely ride through the town of Tonda.

Tennis school levels seem to vary depending on the region. When I lived in Machida, I was in an advanced class, but here, I’m in an intermediate one. That said, the intermediate class at this school is tougher than the advanced class in Machida. Today, there was just one young coach and three students, including me, which made for a very engaging and satisfying practice session.

After coming home, I took a shower and had the cabbage soup I had prepared earlier along with a bowl of rice topped with a raw egg. For a drink, I went with my usual Scotch. In the end, it didn’t rain after all. I put on some music, and now I feel completely relaxed.

Still, since I pushed my body quite a bit during the lesson, I decided to go to bed early to make sure I can wake up properly tomorrow. I want to create a routine of playing tennis every other day, so I need to get my body used to today’s schedule.

It was a busy day, but emotionally, it felt calm. I feel like I’m being gently supported by the quiet rhythm of everyday life.