In the women's community, the words of beautiful women are highly respected.
Perhaps the reason is that the presence of a beautiful female within a group increases the reproductive capacity of the entire group. Female mammals often enter estrus together with the entire group.
This may be because they can share each other's milk, increasing the chances of survival for their young.
Humanity is no exception.
The phenomenon of women living together having the same menstrual cycle is something that all women know from experience.
If there are women in the community who have regular female hormone secretion and stable menstrual cycles, even women with unbalanced hormones will follow this cycle.
In other words, women with outstanding appearance increase the reproductive ability of the women around them.
So, women with outstanding looks have the advantage of being respected by both men and women in the group.
--- p.22

There are some things to be careful about when exchanging positive words.
Compliments like 'you look fresh' or 'you look young' are taboo.
When you give compliments like this, both the speaker and the listener will never be able to escape the longing for youth.
Being young is truly beautiful.
But this youth is a weapon for reproduction.
For us who have come down from the arena of reproduction, it is a weapon that has lost its use.
It is better to think of people who have been adorned with beauty for the sake of reproduction as different creatures from us.
Just think of them as beautiful, just like you think of a swan as beautiful.
Wouldn't it be something to think, 'I was like that once too' or 'If I do well, I can be like that now'?
--- p.30

The world might call my mother's journey 'old age' or 'dementia,' but to me, everything seemed like 'liberation' and 'goodbye.'
This is a path everyone must walk, so why should we view it negatively and dislike it? Everyone needs to be cared for for a certain period of time, so it's natural to need "touching." This applies even to birth.
So, when you return to your birthplace, it's not surprising that you'll be asked to lend a hand once again.
A person's life begins with being placed in the hands of a mother or a mother substitute, and ends with being placed in the hands of a child or a child substitute.
If it's decided this way, what's important now is how peacefully you leave.
If you think about it this way, neither old age nor dementia is scary at all.
"I've been losing my mind lately." "Thank goodness, I can leave in peace."
--- p.39

Soon after, I moved into an apartment right behind my in-laws', and I had my own bathroom to maintain, but for a while I didn't feel the need to wipe it dry.
Every time the season changed, I got excited about 'removing mirror stains'.
After I learned that I could avoid this by wiping it off when it was wet, I couldn't leave it wet anymore.
After this incident, my mother-in-law's words, "If you wipe off the moisture, it will be easier later," came to mind.
That's what a young daughter-in-law is like.
So now I have no intention of nagging my daughter-in-law about this or that.
My daughter-in-law is smart and observant, so when she turns 60, she will definitely be wiping the bathroom as much as I do, or even more so.
It makes me sad to think that such a day will ever come.
It's more sad to realize that you're doing something like that than to do it yourself.
--- p.45

When it finally gets to the point where it's difficult to manage, this 'flash in and out' phenomenon occurs.
In other words, isn't this a phenomenon triggered by the brain's defensive instinct when the queue of things it's noticed reaches a limit and can no longer be maintained? To use an analogy, our brain grabs hold of several lines, then pulls them out one by one, organizing them in order.
Is it possible that the brain is reducing the number of lines so that we can enjoy the day leisurely?
So when the 'flash in the pan' phenomenon occurs, instead of being scared of 'aging', I am amazed at how well the brain is made.
I feel like my brain is stopping the awareness that I can't process even though I'm moving diligently without rest...
I can only thank my brain.
The 60s are the prime of one's ability to perceive.
Moreover, sometimes, the phenomenon of 'flashing in and out' allows us to relax and enjoy our daily lives.
Let's stop being sad or scared by thinking that the brain's 'natural work' is 'aging'.
Let's live brightly and cheerfully♪
--- p.55

The area that does this unconsciously is the cerebellum, and by the age of 8, humans package the brain's calculations related to 'walking' and load them into the cerebellum.
Learning is, without a doubt, the act of changing 'thinking and acting in the brain' into a 'package of the cerebellum'.
For example, when you first learn golf, you think, 'This is the posture, this is how you hold the golf club, this is how you hit the ball,' but once you get used to it, it changes to, 'If you naturally maintain your posture and swing the golf club skillfully, the ball will fly far with a clear sound.'
This is a story about the successful packaging of the cerebellum.
The same goes for language learning.
At first, I speak by putting together foreign language sentences, but soon a series of expressions come to mind reflexively, and from then on, they become my own.
In other words, it is a signal that the packaging of the cerebellum has begun.
I'm having a hard time with this 'cerebellar packaging' of language.
But thanks to that, I am enjoying 'learning' my whole life...
--- p.71

That day, my mother didn't wonder about the results of her temperature measurement.
The doctor was worried because I had a fever, but my mother's expression, which would normally be frantic, was suddenly indifferent.
Ah, my heart sank as I thought, "Is this what the linguistics teacher meant by 'forgetting common nouns'?"
The time it takes to realize that you have forgotten is very short.
For a split second, Mom forgot that there was a thermometer in this world, and that there was even a concept called 'having a fever.'
I guess I too will lose something like this someday.
But I also thought that it was okay like this.
Even when told, "You have a fever, let's get tested," my mother went to the testing floor without showing any signs of anxiety.
Mom got rid of one worry.
You could say that you have been freed from the bondage.
It's not a bad thing that common names are disappearing.
The brain begins to forget words in reverse order, starting from recent memories, and eventually returns to the other world, to the time when it lived solely relying on its mother's warmth.
Perhaps this is the happiest way for the brain to end.
--- p.83

These words become the foundation of a child's self-esteem and protect him or her throughout his or her life.
A person who can affirm their existence, no matter how absurd things are or how much criticism they receive from others, is truly strong.
It's best to tell your child before they become independent from home, but if you miss the opportunity, tell them regardless of their age.
Even if parents in their 80s tell their 50-year-old children, the children will be positive about the past 50 years of their lives and the rest of their lives.
And a week later, I received a story from a listener in his 40s.
'If I heard that from my parents, I would really be able to be positive about life.
But what should I do since my parents have already passed away and I have no family?' "Let me tell you.
Thank you for making this connection between radio and my life.
“I’m so glad you were born on this Earth,” I said.
--- p.100

The completed 'memory' itself is easy to manage and search.
It looks neat, but the raw material that sticks out of the mold is actually removed and thrown away.
So, to a 14-year-old, 'adults appear cowardly and ignorant'.
At 14, the emotional model is almost complete, but it's still a "brain that looks like a piece of cookie dough."
From their perspective, the one-sided judgment of an adult is hard to bear because it feels like cutting off something precious in one fell swoop.
Trouble arises when children belittle something precious or criticize a close friend.
When children say, "Adults don't know anything," adults usually laugh.
“What would you know?”
But this is wrong.
Adults are the ones who really don't know.
What is visible to a 14-year-old is not visible to an adult in their prime reproductive years.
I salute all the 14 year olds in the world.
And I still cherish what I saw at this age.
--- p.124

Last Sunday, I was lying down in the study on the second floor reading a book when I heard my wife vacuuming below.
It was the sound of pushing very carefully, into every corner, several times.
“Just throwing out the trash involves eight steps, and my wife, who has been doing housework for decades, still puts in so much effort to vacuum. My eyes welled up at the thought.” He said that it was either out of gratitude toward his wife or because of the weight of her life that he felt.
The man said to me, “Thank you for making me realize this,” but I was the one who was grateful.
I was overwhelmed by the thought that the book I wrote could help couples grow closer.
That's when I realized.
It's ideal for a couple to be apart, but if they can't hear the noise of life, they can't feel their 'spouse's life'...
My husband started doing leather crafts after he retired.
The skill was beyond imagination, and it was so professional that it looked like it was actually for sale.
They also made a tote bag, glasses case, and phone charging cable pocket.
We have rooms on the first and third floors.
When I hear the sound of my husband's hammer, I feel somehow relieved and more forgiving.
The sound of people moving is really nice.
So let's try to listen to each other.

--- p.193