Chihiro At War
Sep. 25th, 2005 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tobu_ishiFor anyone concerned about my mental state while I'm over here in far-off lands, worry no more. I have a personal psychiatrist and cheerleader of my very own.
I'd recommend him to anyone, except that he might have a little trouble getting to appointments. He's five years old.
From the minute I met him, my smaller host brother, Chihiro, has been waging war on any loneliness or depression I might be feeling. It is practically impossible to feel blue with a happy, chattering five-year-old crawling into your lap to give you random hugs at any given moment of the day.
If I have gone off and sequestered myself in my room, he knocks on the door to ask me to come out and play games or read him Thomas the Tank Engine.
If I am sprawled out on the sofa in the evening feeling half-asleep and bleary, he climbs up next to me to show me his Pokemon cards and action figures, play with my hair, or hug my legs.
At the dinner table, he's pickier than I am, making me feel much better for refusing to eat pig's-stomach soup when he won't even eat daikon radish on his tofu. (He does devour natto with gusto, though, which somewhat disturbs me.) He makes silly faces across the table at me, talks up a storm, and corrects me with great dignity on my table manners.
The other weekend, I was curled up in my futon, somewhat late in the morning. Chihiro padded into my bedroom in his pajamas, wished me a cheerful good morning, climbed under the covers next to me and snuggled up to me, declaring that he was going to sleep late too.
And last week, walking home late from an evening spent with friends, the dark and the quiet and the drippy weather was starting to get to me, and I managed to work myself up into a lonely funk. Lo and behold, I opened the front door and was flooded with warm yellow lamplight. I had just bent down to take my shoes off when Chihiro came running out into the genkan shouting, "Welcome home!!" and threw his arms around my neck in the most desperately-needed hug he's given me yet. I was so touched that I burst out laughing, stood up and carried him into the living room,where the rest of our family was waiting. Instant mood reversal.
So don't worry about me ending up depressed while I'm here. Chihiro is on the front lines, and I am well defended.
I'd recommend him to anyone, except that he might have a little trouble getting to appointments. He's five years old.
From the minute I met him, my smaller host brother, Chihiro, has been waging war on any loneliness or depression I might be feeling. It is practically impossible to feel blue with a happy, chattering five-year-old crawling into your lap to give you random hugs at any given moment of the day.
If I have gone off and sequestered myself in my room, he knocks on the door to ask me to come out and play games or read him Thomas the Tank Engine.
If I am sprawled out on the sofa in the evening feeling half-asleep and bleary, he climbs up next to me to show me his Pokemon cards and action figures, play with my hair, or hug my legs.
At the dinner table, he's pickier than I am, making me feel much better for refusing to eat pig's-stomach soup when he won't even eat daikon radish on his tofu. (He does devour natto with gusto, though, which somewhat disturbs me.) He makes silly faces across the table at me, talks up a storm, and corrects me with great dignity on my table manners.
The other weekend, I was curled up in my futon, somewhat late in the morning. Chihiro padded into my bedroom in his pajamas, wished me a cheerful good morning, climbed under the covers next to me and snuggled up to me, declaring that he was going to sleep late too.
And last week, walking home late from an evening spent with friends, the dark and the quiet and the drippy weather was starting to get to me, and I managed to work myself up into a lonely funk. Lo and behold, I opened the front door and was flooded with warm yellow lamplight. I had just bent down to take my shoes off when Chihiro came running out into the genkan shouting, "Welcome home!!" and threw his arms around my neck in the most desperately-needed hug he's given me yet. I was so touched that I burst out laughing, stood up and carried him into the living room,where the rest of our family was waiting. Instant mood reversal.
So don't worry about me ending up depressed while I'm here. Chihiro is on the front lines, and I am well defended.
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Date: 2005-09-25 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-25 10:05 pm (UTC)