December 25, 2021：今年の漢字、金、変化 (Kanji Character of 2021, Gold, Changes)

 The kanji character ‘金’ was selected as the character that best summarizes this year. The character has various meanings. One of them is gold. Gold reminds us of many gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer and energizes us. But the character also means money. This year, huge public money was spent like emergency grant aid, benefits and costs for Abenomasks.
 My kanji character symbolizing this year is ‘変’ (change). The most significant change is the marriage of my daughter. I am as happy with it as her birth. I have no loneliness and enjoy daily life with my wife. I hope that she will enjoy her happy life with her husband. COVID-19 has also created some positive changes in my life. I spend more time studying, reading and watching films.
External changes help me to transform my life.

　今年の漢字に「金」が選ばれました。「キン」と読んでオリンピックでの日本選手の金メダルラッシュや大谷翔平選手の活躍を反映してこの漢字が選ばれました。キンは元気をくれますが、「カネ」と読むと怒りが湧いてきます。アベノマスク、支援金や給付金等々の政治がらみのカネ使い方の問題です。
　ボクの今年の漢字は「変」です。最大の変化は娘の結婚です。うれしくて、いなくなった寂しさはありません。とにかく、夫婦元気に暮らしてくれればと願いばかりです。コロナのお陰でよいこともありました。家で勉強、読書や映画を見る機会が増えました。
　ボクの生活を変えるには、外的変化が必要です。