At the age of 60, I was able to realize my dream of opening a treatment room【Personal Experience】

March 29, 2013. From that day on, my life changed completely. My wife, who had been by my side for 25 years, passed away at the young age of 50.

My wife, who suffered from multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, underwent a massive amount of chemotherapy that caused all her hair to fall out, enduring a physically painful state while repeatedly being hospitalized. Despite this, she always remained cheerful, never wanting to worry me or our daughter, who was a high school student at the time, and kept smiling even during her battle with illness.

"...I certainly dislike pain, but it's just returning to the other world—"

Through the teachings of Happy Science open_in_new, our family learned that "humans continue to live as souls in the spiritual world after death." Therefore, I believe my wife was overcoming her fear of death. She calmly accepted the prognosis and preferred to spend her last moments at home rather than continue life-prolonging treatments.

Three days before my wife passed away. That day was exactly our 25th wedding anniversary.

"I have truly been happy since marrying A..."
The image of my wife whispering this kept resurfacing in my mind during the wake and funeral.

Empty days without my wife

"I'm home—"
When I returned from work, of course, there was no smiling face to greet me.

(Ah, she really has gone away...)
I dragged my tired body into the kitchen, holding the groceries I had bought. Since my wife passed away, I have taken over the household chores.

I have no cooking experience, but for my daughter, who is attending university, I somehow managed to prepare dinner while searching for recipes online. After that, I had dinner while watching TV with my daughter and took care of the remaining household chores around 11 o'clock.

Even though my daughter must have been suffering from the loss of her mother, she never showed it and behaved bravely. Without her presence, I think I would have been crushed by the loneliness of being without my wife.

That said, doing unfamiliar household chores after working late at the company was quite laborious, and I couldn't shake off the lethargic fatigue.

(But, my wife lived this kind of life every day...)

While my wife was alive, she worked in support of children with disabilities, taking on all the household chores and child-rearing, and at one point even cared for my mother, who had developed dementia. Meanwhile, I was busy with my work as a web creator and was often away from home.

(I'm sorry... I couldn't help at all...)
I have regrets and feelings of guilt that my wife may have become ill due to the overload of work and family responsibilities.

Even at work, I couldn't feel the ambition or sense of mission I used to have, and I was just trying to get through each day's tasks. It's often said that "there's a hole in the heart," and that's exactly how I felt, with days passing where nothing seemed to fill my heart. Looking back now, I think I was on the verge of depression.

After six months of suffering—

(What on earth should I do...)
At that time, my only solace was reading President Okawa open_in_new's books and learning the truths of Buddhism. The time spent learning about "the meaning of life" and "the afterlife" was the only time when warm light seemed to shine into my heart, healing me.

One day, when I opened "The Law of the Sun" open_in_new, a passage captured my heart.

"There is meaning in suffering, and there is meaning in sadness. In other words, the existence of suffering and sadness compels us humans to make choices. What is that choice?
It is the choice of whether each of us will choose a life of giving or a life of receiving."

(To give or to receive...)
At that moment, my wife's image came to mind.

My wife loved to help others more than anything and always listened to the worries of family and friends, encouraging them. Even after she got cancer, she continued to listen to the concerns of her fellow patients and nurses, and was beloved by many.

(Even though my wife was suffering from illness, she chose to be "the giver." I want to live a "life of giving" like her—) After more than six months of being in a depressed state, I finally felt my heart starting to lift as I continued reading President Okawa's books.

Challenges from the age of 57

Furthermore, the book "Lifelong Active Life" open_in_new provided me with the opportunity to recover.

"It can be scientifically said that 'by the 21st century, on average, people will likely live to be 100 years old,' so those of you who are currently active should have the mindset and attitude to cope with the age of 100.' If you don't have this, I think a difficult old age will come."
(Come to think of it, I will soon reach retirement age. There’s no guarantee of receiving a pension in the future...)

I began to seriously think about my "second life" ahead.
(Is there something I can do that will help others even after retirement?)

While considering various professions, the work of acupuncture and massage, which I had previously learned as a hobby, came to mind as an option.

(That's right. I like massage work, and I can help others too.)

When I looked it up online, I found a famous acupuncture and massage vocational school just 30 minutes from my home, and learned that if I attended for three years and passed the national exam, I could obtain a national qualification as an acupuncturist.

(Alright. I’ll start fresh and give it my all)
I resolved to carve out a new life and consulted with my company to hire a new engineer to take my place. It took six months to train that person until they could do my job.

Then in March of the following year, I left the company I had worked for many years at the age of 57, and from the following month, I began attending acupuncture and massage vocational school among younger students.

Trials ahead

The vocational school was six days a week, from 9 AM to around noon. In the afternoons, to supplement my living expenses and study, I worked part-time at a friend's massage clinic doing reception and miscellaneous tasks.
The reason is that even if I graduated from school and obtained my national qualification, I would be 60 years old at that time. At this age, it would be difficult to find employment. Therefore, I thought from the beginning that I should aim to open my own treatment room. I wanted to learn the flow of treatment and how to make appointments while working part-time at the clinic to gain the necessary experience for the future.

However, balancing school studies, part-time work, and household chores while wearing "three hats" was more challenging than I had imagined.

(I'm so busy I feel like my head is spinning. But I have to do my best so that my wife in heaven won't worry.)
Then, in June, as the regular exams approached.
When I reviewed the material I had studied before...
"Huh? That's strange. I should have remembered it well..."

The exams asked about the names and locations of hundreds of bones and muscles, a vast number of disease names and symptoms, and treatment methods. Despite studying hard, for some reason, I couldn't remember even half of what I had learned.

(No way, the test is coming up soon...)
I was hit by an overwhelming sense of anxiety. If I got a failing grade and failed the retest, I would have to retake all the classes the following year.

I pulled myself together and studied repeatedly, but after a week, I found that most of what I had memorized had slipped away. It felt like trying to scoop water with a bottomless bucket.

(Is it really impossible at this age...)
One afternoon, completely losing confidence and walking home dejectedly, I noticed that there was a temple open_in_new of Happy Science just a few minutes' walk from the school. The temple is a worship facility of Happy Science. I immediately entered the temple's chapel and sat down in an empty chair.
(Ah... My heart feels calm. It's been a while since I felt this way.)

As I repeated deep breaths, my heart, which had been turbulent with anxiety and impatience, gradually calmed down, and the accumulated stress seemed to flow away. Then, little by little, strength returned to my body, and the hope I had almost lost began to revive.

(That's right, it's too early to give up. Let's try again!)

From that day on, I dedicated the time between the end of classes and going to my part-time job to studying and reading in the temple's free space. When I was at the temple, strangely, I could concentrate astonishingly well in a short time, and my studies progressed significantly.

Whenever I felt tired or weak, I would calm my mind in the chapel and vividly envision my dream of becoming an acupuncturist and massage therapist who would heal the hearts and bodies of many people in the future. Then, I began to see "the difficulty of studying" as "the foundation for pursuing my dream," and studying transformed from a "pain" into a joy.
The staff at the temple always greeted me with smiles and warmly watched over my studies.

(Alright, let's keep this up)
After that, I continued studying while battling my declining memory, and I was able to maintain a position in the top 30% of my class in the regular exams held three times a year.

For many people, health of the mind and body

And, at the end of March 2017, I was checking the results of the national exam on my computer.

"I did it—"
I passed with flying colors! The birth of a 60-year-old acupuncturist and massage therapist. After that, I opened a small treatment room near my home and started working in May. Thanks to that, the number of patients coming to see me is gradually increasing.

Most of my patients are housewives, but they all bear multiple roles, not only household chores and childcare but also work and caring for their parents. Now that I understand how tough that is, I am dedicated to providing treatments with all my heart, hoping to alleviate even a little of their physical and mental pain.

The reason I was able to start my second life is because of the teachings of President Okawa, who has always supported and guided me. I am also deeply grateful to my daughter, who encouraged my dreams, my wife in heaven, many Dharma friends, and the blessings of the gods and Buddhas.

In the future, I want to continue my treatment room as a "lifetime active" practitioner, while honing my skills to heal as many patients' minds and bodies as possible.

"Lifetime Active Life" open_in_new (by Ryuho Okawa / Happy Science Publishing) 5 The Mindset of Lifelong Activity
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