Form of Marriage

The rainy season has finally arrived this year

The oleanders visible from the living room window are blooming with bright pink flowers, making the view bright even on rainy days.

When I first came to view this house in July three years ago, the president of the management company showed me around the room and these oleander flowers caught my eye and have remained in my mind ever since.

One of the symbolic trees for our family

I moved here in October of that year and have been living here for three years now.

I'm surprised I managed to get through three years here... I thought as I gazed upon the oleanders.

This spring, we have been going through a period of change as a couple, entering a new phase.

It was only recently, in our eighth year of marriage, that I realized that my husband, who is cautious and prudent and has an excellent ability to avoid risks, and I, who, to put it in a positive way, am optimistic and, to put it in a negative way, don't think about the consequences, think in completely different ways.

Thanks to my husband's excellent ability to avoid danger, we have hardly ever had any fights and we get along very well. At first glance, it may have seemed like there were no problems, but not being able to fight may have meant that we were holding back or preventing each other from growing, and as a result of this continuing for a long time, we lost our balance.

It may be a small, trivial thing, but it represents thoughts and feelings that we needed to share with each other.

Why is she willing to support her husband, who left a stable corporate job to become an independent hat maker?

I am often asked such questions.

To put it bluntly, I didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, but at the time, I was so happy that my husband's expressions were finally being seen by others.

Of course, going to an unknown place without any guarantees is scary, but if I start focusing on my fears, I'll never be able to move forward.

When my husband was still working for a company, I would see the pictures he would occasionally draw and the embroidery on the clothes he made for me, and I wished that this expression could reach more people.

Now that my wish is gradually coming true, I feel how grateful I am as I walk in the shade of our family's second symbolic tree, the Zelkova tree.

I wonder how the oleander, watching us from the side of the living room, views this change?

Being a married couple is interesting. I want to embrace these changes and enjoy the conflicts that come with them.

At Utsushiki, the Oak Man Exhibition is finally in its final week.

What kind of changes have the Oak couple, Hiro and Ayaka, gone through to become what they are today?

They have brought their children with them, so please make sure to spend time with them while you are there.

Please come and feel the energy of Shodoshima that the works emit, as well as the energy of the artists themselves!

Have a great week this week too♡

Mariko Tanoue