The First Time I Wrote Number Notation Myself - Music Brings New Joy at Any Age - July 22, 2026 (Wednesday)

Today, I went to Bethel Hospital to discuss my future rehabilitation.

I learned that the physical therapist at Eden no Sono had not yet seen the X-ray of my shoulder. Then I remembered that I had left a copy of the X-ray in the staff room. When I called, they kindly told me they would deliver it to the therapist, which gave me peace of mind.

Next Monday, I plan to visit the orthopedic clinic to discuss the pain in my knee. I also hope to continue my shoulder rehabilitation, so I would like to ask whether I can receive rehabilitation at Bethel Hospital if I obtain a referral.

After returning home, I intended to take a nap. But suddenly, I felt like playing The Skater's Waltz.

I could only find the opening section of the sheet music, so I played it slowly on my little foldable electronic keyboard, which is almost like a toy, relying on the melody I remembered from childhood.

My left arm has not fully recovered yet, but since the sling has been removed, I was able to add a few simple chords with my left hand.

That alone made me very happy.

Then another idea came to me.

"What if I could play it on the Taisho-goto as well?"

I used to enjoy playing the Taisho-goto when I lived in Shizuoka.

One of my senior friends from the swimming club, now in his eighties, served as a director of "Hikari no Ie," a facility for people with visual impairments. He was also a master of the shamisen. He carefully prepared numbered notation for every piece we played together.

He even learned Braille and created Braille versions of the numbered notation so that people with visual impairments could enjoy playing together with everyone else.

Until today, I had always played using the numbered scores he had prepared for us.

I had never created one myself.

Today, I decided to try.

"Do is 1, Re is 2, Mi is 3..."

Thinking through each note, I wrote the numbered notation for the opening melody of The Skater's Waltz.

Then I played it on my Taisho-goto.

To my surprise, it really sounded like The Skater's Waltz.

Of course, some parts were probably not completely accurate.

But that did not matter.

I played it over and over again, and every time I did, I felt happier.

When I left Shizuoka, I had to say goodbye to my Taisho-goto friends, my Western music friends, and my teachers.

I still miss them.

But today, by writing my own numbered notation and playing the Taisho-goto on my own, I felt as though I had taken a new step forward.

The foldable electronic keyboard was originally something I had planned to give to one of my grandchildren.

After giving it much thought, however, I decided to keep it and brought it with me to Matsuyama.

Now it has become my own treasured instrument.

I also have two secondhand kotos, both of which are precious to me.

There are still days when illness and my shoulder fracture make it difficult to do the things I want.

Even so, today reminded me once again that I truly love music.

No matter our age, there is always joy in trying something new.

The numbered notation I wrote for the first time today may seem like a very small step.

But to me, it was a moment of great happiness.

#Rehabilitation
#ShoulderFracture
#TheSkatersWaltz
#Piano
#TaishoGoto
#NumberNotation
#LifeWithMusic
#SeniorLife
#NewChallenge
#TodaysReflection