こんばんは(^o^)
地元の友人2人と、35歳になって久しぶりに会いました。
同じ場所で育ったのに、20年でここまで人生が違うものになるのかと、正直かなり驚かされました。
結論から言うと──
友人A🐒は中卒・独身。職人として長く現場経験を積んでいます。
友人B👨は高校中退で一度は中卒でしたが、今は専門卒。
1級建築士、1級建築施工管理技士、宅建士を持ち、既婚で子ども2人。家庭を持ち、大手ゼネコンに内定しています。
Bとは去年の同窓会で久しぶりに会いました。
「子どもが2人できたんだよ」と話す姿は本当に幸せそうで、「大手ゼネコンに内定した」と聞いた時は、素直にすごいなと思いました。
一方でAとは今でもたまに会っていますが、借金返済の話をしていて、正直あまり状況は良くなさそうでした。
まずは、友人Aの話から。
Aとは保育園から一緒で、その頃からよく遊んでいました。
親が仕事で忙しく、保育園が休みの日も2人で預けられて、先生に面倒を見てもらっていたことを今でも覚えています。
小学校・中学校も一緒で、高校受験はしたけれど進学できませんでした。
Aは15歳頃からずっと働いています。
母子家庭で、父親には一度も会ったことがなく、経済的にもかなり厳しい環境で育ちました。
そんなAは、20代半ばで身内の借金を肩代わりするという出来事に見舞われます。
それを約10年かけて完済し、今は実家を出て、仕事で全国を飛び回っています。
この前も電話がかかってきて、相変わらず話は長かったですが（笑）、元気そうでした。
少し話し相手を求めているようにも感じました。
次に友人Bの話です。
Bも小学校から一緒で、とにかく活発な子でした。
悪さが好きで（笑）、企画力や人を巻き込む力は本当にずば抜けていました。
夜中に学校へ忍び込んで落書きしたり、東京へ行こうと計画したり。
髪を染めて、酒を飲んで、タバコを吸って……今思えば可愛い遊びですが、色々一緒にやりました。
Bは地元の高校に進学しますが、すぐに辞めてしまいます。
その後、母子家庭から父親のもとへ行き、関東で仕事を始めました。
高校時代、遠征で自分が関東に行った際には、神奈川の自宅に泊めてもらい、
父親に牛角へ連れて行ってもらったり、飲み物をご馳走になったりと、本当にお世話になりました。
成人式、26歳の時の結婚式（仙台）、そして去年の同窓会。
9年ぶりに会って、今の状況を聞き、「すごいな」と思うと同時に、「自分も頑張らなきゃな」と素直に感じました。
同じ中卒、同じ地域で育っても、
人生はここまで変わるんだなと改めて実感しています。
Aは中学卒業後、借金返済に人生の多くを費やし、35歳でようやく身軽になった。
Bは高校中退後、親の助けも受けながら専門卒となり、資格を取り、家庭を持った。
育った環境、親の支え、与えられたカードで、こんなにも違いが出るのかと考えさせられます。
Aに関しては、自分には想像できないほど大変なカードを配られてきたと思います。
でもその経験は、間違いなく「資産」だと思います。
誰もが経験できるものじゃないし、一生語れる話です。
その10年間で積み上げてきた経験は消えません。
誰かに語ることで、思わぬ縁やチャンスに繋がることもあるかもしれない。
ここからの人生を、どうか捨てないでほしい。
掴めるものはまだあると思っています。
正直、逆の立場だったら「ふざけるな」と思うかもしれませんが（笑）。
何かしら、力になれたらいいな(^o^)
終了
ばいばい
Good evening (^o^)
I recently caught up with two local friends, having just turned 35.
Even though we grew up in the same place, I was honestly quite surprised at how different our lives can be in just 20 years.
To cut to the chase—
Friend A🐒 is single and only has a junior high school education. He has extensive on-site experience as a craftsman.
Friend B👨 dropped out of high school and once only had a junior high school diploma, but now has a vocational school degree.
He holds a first-class architect license, a first-class construction management engineer license, and a real estate agent license. He’s married with two children. He has a family and has been offered a job at a major general contractor.
I caught up with B for the first time in a long time at a class reunion last year.
He looked so happy when he told me, “I have two kids,” and when I heard he’d been offered a job at a major general contractor, I was honestly impressed.
Meanwhile, I still occasionally meet up with A, but he’s been talking about paying off debt, and honestly, his situation doesn’t seem too bad.
Let’s start with Friend A’s story.
A and I have been together since nursery school, and we used to play together often.
I still remember that when our parents were busy with work, we would leave the nursery alone on days when it was closed, and the teachers would take care of us.
We also went to the same elementary and junior high school, and although he took the high school entrance exam, he was unable to go on to higher education.
A has been working ever since he was 15 years old.
He grew up in a single-parent household, never meeting his father, and in very difficult financial circumstances.
Then, in his mid-twenties, A was faced with the tragedy of having to take on a family member’s debt.
He paid it off over the course of about 10 years, and now he’s moved out of his parents’ home and travels all over the country for work.
He called me the other day, and as usual, we had a long talk (lol), but he seemed healthy.
I also got the feeling he was looking for someone to talk to.
Next, I’d like to talk to my friend B.
B was also my friend from elementary school, and he was a very active kid.
He liked to be mischievous (lol), and his planning and ability to get people involved were truly outstanding.
We would sneak into school in the middle of the night to draw graffiti, and plan trips to Tokyo.
We dyed our hair, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes…Looking back, it was all cute fun, but we did all sorts of things together.
B went on to a local high school but dropped out soon after.
After that, he left his single-parent household to live with his father and started working in the Kanto region.
When B went to Kanto alone during high school, he stayed at our house in Kanagawa,
and his father took him to Gyukaku and treated him to drinks, so we were really taken care of.
His Coming-of-Age Ceremony, his wedding (in Sendai) when he was 26, and last year’s reunion.
Meeting for the first time in nine years and hearing about his current situation, I thought, “That’s amazing,” but at the same time, I honestly felt like, “I have to work hard too.”
It’s made me realize once again how much our lives can change, even if we only graduated from junior high school and grew up in the same area.
After graduating from junior high school, A spent much of his life paying off debts, and finally became financially free at the age of 35.
After dropping out of high school, B graduated from a vocational school with the help of his parents, earned a qualification, and started a family.
It makes you think about how the environment you grew up in, the support of your parents, and the cards you were dealt can make such a big difference.
As for A, I think he was dealt a much tougher hand than he could have ever imagined.
But those experiences are definitely an “asset.”
Not everyone can experience them, and they’re stories you can talk about for the rest of your life.
The experiences you’ve accumulated over those 10 years will never fade.
Talking about them to someone might lead to unexpected connections and opportunities.
Please don’t throw away the rest of your life.
I believe there’s still more you can grasp.
Honestly, if I were in your position, I might think, “That’s ridiculous!” (lol).
I hope I can be of some help in some way. (^^)
End
Bye.
