親戚の法事のために遠方からイトコが泊まりに来たのを機会に、事前に少人数で親睦会を開いた。

 

母を入れて5人。

当然、昔から知った仲だが、久しぶりの再会。

母を除く4人の年齢幅は10才、立場も違う。

昔話にうわさ話、旅行や趣味の話、話題が尽きない。

打ち解けて話し合う相手がいるというのは、ありがたいことだ。

 

こういう場でも、話しちゃいけないことがある。

金儲けの話、自慢話、政治・宗教、推し話。

 

藤井風さんの話なんか始めたら熱量違い過ぎて、カラ滑り間違いない。

自分が話したくても、人から尋ねられないかぎり一切話してはいけない。

もし尋ねる人がいたら、その人が自分の話をするためのフリだと認識しよう。

軽くいなして収めるのが平和なつきあいのコツだ。

 

場にふさわしい話題を選び、大いに盛り上がった。

 

 

A cousin from far away came to stay with us for a relative's memorial service, so we held a small party beforehand.

 

There were five of us, including my mother.

Naturally, we've known each other for a long time, but this was our first reunion in a long time.

The age gap between the four of us, excluding my mother, is 10 years, and we all come from different backgrounds.

We never run out of things to talk about, from old times to gossip, to travel and hobbies.

It's a blessing to have someone to talk to openly.

 

Even in a setting like this, there are some things you shouldn't talk about.

Talk about making money, bragging, politics, religion, and your "Oshi".

 

If I were to talk about Fujii Kaze, I'd be so excited that I'd end up being laughed at.

Even if you want to talk, don't talk at all unless someone asks you.

If someone does ask of it, understand that they just want to talk about themselves.

The secret to peaceful interactions is to lightly brush them off.

 

We chose topics appropriate to the occasion, and had a great time.