2024年を振り返る

 

今年は年初から風邪をひき、それが感冒性胃腸炎になり、悪化して逆流性食道炎になりました。まいったのは２週間しゃっくりがとまらなかったことです。これは人生初めての経験で辛かった。

3月まで調子が悪かった。高齢者というのは回復に時間がかかる。そもそも健康診断なんて20年以上は受けていないので、何かがあった場合は大抵が手遅れなのは覚悟ができている（今はそう言っているだけか？）。

悪いことは続くもので、3月には壁に立てかけていたギターを倒して3か所にクラックが入った。20数年前に銀座山野楽器で購入したもので、所有するギターの中で一番愛しているギターだ。修理は山野を通じてマーチンの総代理店である黒沢楽器にお願いした。修理が完了し手元に戻ったのが10月半ばだった。

ギターの修理と同時に27年前に息子のためにNYのサムアッシュ楽器店で買ったサキソフォンも修理に出した。こちらも山野楽器を窓口にヤマハに修理に出した。こちらのほうは3か月ほどで8月の末に戻ってきた。

11月はじめには早朝犬の散歩中（チャーリーは車椅子）、チャーリーの突然の動きに対応できず転倒、左半身を強打し、しばらくは井の頭通りでうずくまっていた。特に左手の人差し指と中指を痛め、一か月腫れがひかない。当然ギターなんて全く弾けないようになった。年末の今でも人差し指は痛みが残っていてローコードのAmやCやD7が押さえられない。それ以外は曲によっては何とか痛みをこらえながら演奏できるようになった。年を取るってロクなことはありません。はい。

2024年、良かったことは何かあったか？

１．夏に息子一家が孫2人を連れてナッシュビルから一時帰国した

２．サキソフォンの修理をきっかけとしてalto-saxを始めたこと

３．2年前脊椎梗塞を発症したチャーリーの病状が悪化していないこと

４．毎日の料理や読書は続けられていること

５．ibg は今年も倒産せず来年は20周年を迎えること

私が生まれた昭和30年前後の男性の平均寿命は63歳でした。令和6年の今は81歳だそうです。一方、健康寿命は72歳。健康でない長生きの期間がほぼ10年あります。昭和30年の健康寿命のデータは見当たりませんでしたが、おそらく平均寿命の63歳と10年も離れていないでしょう。

2025年は乙巳年（きのとみどし）です。乙巳は脱皮し強く成長し、努力を重ねて安定させていく。

さてさて私に努力なんて出来るでしょうか？

This year, I had a cold from the beginning of the year, which turned into cold gastroenteritis, and worsened into reflux esophagitis. The bad thing was that the hiccups didn't stop for two weeks. This was the first time in my life that I had experienced it, and it was painful. I wasn't feeling well until March. Older people take longer to recover. I haven't had a medical checkup in over 20 years, so I'm prepared for something that happens to me and it's usually too late.

The bad things kept coming, and in March, I knocked over a guitar that was leaning against the wall and cracked it in three places. I bought it at Ginza Yamano Gakki more than 20 years ago, and it's my favorite guitar I've owned. The repair was done by Kurosawa Gakki, the sole agent of Martin USA, through Yamano. The repairs were completed and returned to me in mid-October.

At the same time as repairing the guitar, I also repaired the saxophone I bought for my son 27 years ago at the Sam Ash Music Store in New York. Yamano Gakki was also sent to Yamaha for repairs. This one came back at the end of August after about 3 months. So, I stared saxophone practice first time in my life.

In early November, while walking the dog early in the morning (Charlie was in a wheelchair), I couldn't cope with Charlie's sudden movements, fell and banged on the left side of my body, and for a while I crouched down on the street of Inokashira-dori. In particular, the index and middle fingers of my left hand hurt, and the swelling did not go away for a month. Naturally, I couldn't play the guitar at all. Even at the end of the year, my index finger is still sore and I can't hold down the low-chord Am, C, or D7. Other than that, I was able to play some songs while holding back the pain.

As you get older, problems appear everywhere,

The year 2024, was there anything good about it?

1. My son and his family returned from Nashville with my two grandchildren in their summer vacation,
2. I started the saxophone because of a saxophone repair,
3. Charlie's health has not worsened since he suffered a spinal infarction two years ago,
4. I continues to cook and read every day,
5. ibg does not go bankrupt this year as well and will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

The average life expectancy of men around Showa 30, when I was born, was 63 years. Now it is 81 years old in 2024. On the other hand, the healthy life expectancy is 72 years old. There is almost 10 years of unhealthy longevity. I didn't find any data on healthy life expectancy in 2024, but it is probably less than 10 years away from the average life expectancy of 63 years old.

The year 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Snakes undergo molting, which is the shedding of their skin and grows stronger, and they make efforts to stabilize it.

Me?, how can I make an effort? (no way).