Sanpo-yoshi Communication
Sanpo-yoshi Communication
Printing Column] Great Seniors
Every year, around October, there’s a part-time worker who reaches out to me.
Me: “You’ll come back next year, right?”
Part-timer N: “My body won’t move. What should I do???”
Me: “You’re still fine. You should keep moving. If you quit your job, you’ll age rapidly.”
Mr. N: "That's right."
Ms. N has been working with us for over 10 years now. She’ll turn 77 this year. She’s petite and her back is starting to hunch a bit, but she moves with a brisk, efficient pace. She’s still actively printing labels for us. She’s highly productive, and I can’t recall ever receiving a complaint about her work. She’s truly a superwoman.
She’s been working here since the days when Marushin used to make bamboo baskets for gift-wrapped dried shiitake mushrooms (donko). Every winter, I often hear various employees say things like, “I’m almost 60 myself. My body just doesn’t work the way it used to.”
In such cases, for example, in the case of Person A,
Me: “I’m looking at N. I’m still more than 15 years away from being N’s age.”
Person A: “No way, someone that age couldn’t possibly move like that.”
Me: “I think A can do it, too. It’ll be fine.”
Mr. N is a great role model. By the way, a while back, I asked Mr. N for his secret to high productivity.
Mr. N: “You should decide what you’re going to do each day first thing in the morning, and get a head start on preparing for the next task.”
I see. Preparation really is key, isn't it? When I'm rushing around,
Mr. N: “It’s pretty hectic over in Namba, isn’t it? Let’s sit down and have a quiet cup of coffee.”
And with that, they'll brew you a delicious cup of coffee.
No matter how old he gets, he always points out problems, saying, “This is really tough—can’t we do something about it?” I’m so grateful to this “great senior” whom I hope will stay healthy and with Marushin for a long time to come.
