After two weeks of worrying about the house collapsing due to rotting pillars, I finally made a decision. I called a contractor and decided to have them repair it. That's not accurate. To be even more accurate, I decided to call a contractor and have them repair it.
What does it mean to think about something? It means that you are in the preparation stage for the thought that maybe you should think about it.
When I say this, many people will probably think, "Why do I need to prepare to think something? Shouldn't I just think about it as soon as I think about it? Is he stupid? Is he stupid? If so, there's no point in such a fool living. Maybe he should just eat some rotten whelks and die."
But please don't say that. Even the smallest insect has a soul, as I immediately thought, but there was a reason why it took so much determination. To put it simply, what that reason was, "Because I was depressed."
The reason I was feeling depressed was because I was worried that if I called such a company and was treated rudely, I would be hurt.
If it's a fairly large company, a specialized receptionist will usually respond politely according to a well-established response manual, but if it's a small company, it's often the case that a self-made CEO will answer the phone himself, and especially in the rural area where I live, they don't mean any harm but their language is rough, and the more politely you try to speak to them, the more they seem to have no idea what you're saying, and eventually,
"Sorry, but I don't understand what you're saying. I'm busy right now, so I'll call you back later."
It often happens that the person says this, hangs up the phone, and never calls again.
So I thought I should speak in that same tone, that is, in a natural tone, and I used the local Osaka dialect, which to me is the most natural tone, specifically the Senshu Sakai dialect.
"Um, the pillars of the house are rotten and..."
I have tried saying things like this before, but just as often, or maybe even more so, my point wasn't conveyed, and by the end I sounded almost angry and the conversation ended abruptly, which was a bitter experience that I really didn't like.
As this happened repeatedly, I became depressed about calling a repairman, and I didn't even think about doing so, and just went about my life. The result was the collapse of screen doors and the destruction of houses.
But even I, a timid person, have finally come to the point where I want to think this way. I don't know if that's how things will start, or if that's the only way things will start.
a I'll start working tomorrow → I think I'll start working tomorrow → I think I'll start working tomorrow → Tomorrow has become today, but I won't work
is regressive,
b I think I'll start working from tomorrow → I think I'll start working from tomorrow → Tomorrow has become today, so I'll work
This is because a is behavioral. It is not one or the other, but rather, in reality, what happens is that we go from a to b. This is because that is the case for me, who was in state a for two weeks, then went through state b, "I'm thinking about it," and now I've reached the state of "I'm going to contact the company/have contacted the company."
That makes it sound like I called the construction company, but that's not the case. So what did I do? In conclusion, I sent a form instead of calling. That's probably the wrong way to put it, and to be precise, I didn't have any particular contractor in mind, so I searched the internet and found a contractor, and then I filled out the inquiry form on their website and sent an email inquiry.
This was the best way for me because I didn't have to worry about making a phone call and being treated badly and having my feelings hurt.
Two days passed, then three, and the company still hadn't contacted me. The reason must have been that they didn't like me, and when I realized that, I thought to myself, "I'm really glad I filled out the form." If I had called, I don't know how rude I would have been.
That said, I was not able to contact/make a request to the company, which was the most important thing, and I almost ended up getting stuck in the same cycle that many people follow: b → a (the middle of it) → b.
However, doing so would mean the house would collapse, which would be extremely unpleasant, and I learned that using the easy methodology of a form would not hurt my feelings too much, so I forced myself to remain calm, searched again, selected a new company, filled out the form, and contacted them.
The contractor contacted us on the same day, and after a few exchanges, we agreed to have them come to the site (i.e., the rotten pillar) to inspect it in person.
That would be wonderful. Just as I was thinking this, the day came, and the contractor arrived exactly on time. When I saw his face, I thought, "I've seen him somewhere before," and he said, "Actually, I've been to this house before..."
He said. What that means is,
Yes, that man was the site supervisor sent by a construction company introduced to me by a real estate agent when I bought a rundown house at a low price 25 years ago and tried to renovate it so that it was livable.
Many years have passed since then, and while I have grown old and senile and our house has fallen into disrepair, he has successfully achieved independence, started a company, and become the lord of his own castle and country.
Fate is a strange thing. If that was the case, I could discuss things with him freely, and surely we could avoid the collapse. My heart, which had been gloomy for so long, suddenly became bright.
After seeing the site, he decided to give the temporary name Shintaro Nao, and Nao quickly decided on a date and said he would bring a carpenter over sometime, then quickly left.
I felt at peace for the first time in a long time, and that day I made and ate fried rice and went to bed early. Just before I fell asleep, I felt anxious, thinking, "Is it okay for me to be this vulnerable at my age? Can I get by on life like this?" But the relief of having found a contractor won out and I fell asleep. I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I've already come to the conclusion that I can't get by on it, and that I've already been doing it for so long that even if I can't, I'll just die, so it can't be helped. I don't want to think about it, but I've already thought it. That's the one thing that's certain.
