Milk and Liver Are My "Training" - August 16, 2026 (Sunday), Reiwa 8

Breakfast is over, and I am sitting in the massage chair.

This morning's breakfast was another small challenge for me.

I had a large serving of rice, miso soup with tofu, simmered chicken liver, bell peppers dressed with salted kelp, and pickles. For dairy, I chose milk.

I can eat and enjoy most of the other dishes.

But for me, the two biggest challenges are milk and liver.

I used to hate milk.

After graduating from elementary school, I hardly drank it at all. I remember forcing myself to drink the milk served at school lunch for six years, but even now, I do not really know why I disliked it so much.

After I got married, my husband loved milk, so I always bought it for him. I also gave it to our children because I thought it was good for their health. My eldest son has now become an enormous milk lover.

But I did not drink it.

I have eaten yogurt before. But I did not drink milk.

And now, after moving into this facility, I choose milk every morning.

I have been told that I have osteoporosis. I have also experienced a compression fracture, and this time I fractured my left upper arm.

This fracture was caused by my own carelessness, but after surgery, I was also told that the condition of my bones might have been affected by osteoporosis.

So I decided to change my way of thinking a little.

Instead of thinking,

"I don't like it, so I won't eat or drink it,"

I started thinking,

"If it is good for my body, I will try it."

That is why I drink milk every morning.

To be honest, I do not think it tastes good.

I drink it while telling myself,

"This is training. This is training."

And then there is chicken liver, which appears about twice a month.

I hate this too.

I don't like the distinctive taste of liver, its texture, or that slippery feeling in my mouth.

I used to cook liver for my family, but I rarely ate it myself.

But here at the facility, I decided that I would try to eat everything that was served to me without leaving food behind.

So today, once again, I drank the milk first.

Then I ate the liver.

After finishing those two things, I drank some tea and then some miso soup to reset the taste in my mouth.

After that, I ate the rest of my breakfast.

I have to admit, it is a little strategy of my own.

But perhaps this is something important for me.

Until now, I tended to think about food simply in terms of whether I liked it or disliked it.

Now I think a little differently.

After experiencing health problems, fracturing my bone, and beginning to think more seriously about my bones, I have come to realize that different foods each have their own roles.

Milk contains calcium and protein.

Liver contains a lot of iron and various vitamins.

That does not mean I think my current bone condition was caused by not drinking milk.

Bones are not determined by food alone.

Still, I want to do what I can for my body from now on.

That is why I think of it as "training."

My daily milk training.

My twice-a-month liver training.

I can enjoy most of the other dishes, so I think I can make an effort with these two.

And then I suddenly wonder:

What will I be like when I read this note again several years from now?

Will I still be thinking,

"Milk is training. Liver is training"?

Or will I laugh and think,

"I can't believe I used to hate milk that much."

Perhaps by then, I may have come to think,

"Well, I can drink this," or

"I can eat this."

But I don't think I need to force myself to start liking these foods.

Being able to eat something I dislike because it is good for my body is already a big change for me.

I was told that I have osteoporosis, and I experienced a fracture.

I have also realized that I had not thought deeply enough about my own body before.

So I want to change little by little.

Eat the food I can eat without leaving it behind.

And when my body needs something, make an effort to eat it even if I don't like it.

This morning's breakfast was another small step toward that decision.

The milk I drank while telling myself,

"This is training. This is training."

The liver I ate while telling myself,

"This is training. This is training."

I wonder what I will think of myself today when I look back several years from now.

Someday, I would like to open this note again and find out the answer.


#FoodJournal
#Breakfast
#Eating
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#LiverTraining
#TryingThingsIDontLike
#Osteoporosis
#RecoveryFromFracture
#BoneHealth
#Calcium
#Protein
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#TakingCareOfMyBody
#MyFutureSelf
#Age68
#LifeJournal
#TodaysReflection
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#ChangingMyself