何気なくSNSを見ていると、高齢者の陸上大会を撮影した動画が目に留まり、釘付けになってしまった。どこかの地方で開催された、“大会”とも呼べないようなほんの小さな催し物の一部を撮ったもので、もしかすると町内会の運動会のようなものだったかもしれない。それでも陸上競技場を会場に、出場者がちゃんとゼッケンを付けて参加していた。その動画は1分程度の短い動画で、お年寄りたちが恐らく100m走を競い合っている様子だった。（50mだったかもしれない）
　その中の出場者の一人が何と102歳ということで、まずはその事だけで私はグッと注目した。その102歳の方は非常に痩せた体型で、支えていないと倒れてしまうのではないかと思われるほど、貧弱な印象を受けた。また高齢の方によくあるように表情が乏しく、緊張しているのかワクワクしているのか、感情が読み取りにくい。
　レースがスタートし、その方も走り出した。パタパタと小刻みな歩幅で、スピードはもちろん速くはないが、それでも一定のテンポを保ったまましっかり進んで行く。体の向きがゴールに向かって少し横を向いたまま走り続け、しかし進行方向はゴールに真っ直ぐ向かっているようだ。そのままの安定した姿でゴールを迎え、息の乱れはほとんどないように見えた。そして最後にその方は自分が走り終えたコースに振り向き直って、深々とお辞儀をしていたのだった。会場で見守っていた人たちがその姿に拍手を送っていた。

　私はその動画を何度も再生した。そして目をつぶり、噛みしめるように頭の中で繰り返し思い出した。思い出さざるを得ないくらい印象的なものだった。その動画には、人生において大切なことがたくさん詰まっていたように思えた。
　私は現在57歳で、102歳の方から比べればまだ確かに若い。しかしこういった動画に自然と釘付けになってしまうということは、私がどこかで人生の最後の方を意識し始めている証拠だと思う。以前なら「単なる頑張っているおじいさん」で通りすぎていたような動画が私の心を掴んで離さなかった。

　あの102歳の方は、どれだけの鍛錬を重ねてあの場にやって来たのだろう。もしかしたらかつては名の知れた陸上選手だったかもしれないが、そうだとしてもあの年齢であのように振る舞うことは尋常な努力ではできなかったはずだ。それだけでも本当に尊敬できる。
　あの年齢である程度の激しい運動に励むことは危険を伴うだろう。万が一のことがあれば、周りの人に迷惑をかける可能性もある。応援してくれる家族がいるだろうからこそできることなのだとは思うが、理解のある人だけでなく「歳なんだから、大人しくしていろ」とか、「今さらそんなに鍛えて意味があるのか」などと、心ない言葉をかけられていることも考えられる。周りに流されることなく、良い意味で常識を打ち破って、自分の道に取り組んできた彼の生き様を見た思いがする。本当に素晴らしいと思う。

　肉体と精神の辛さ、そして自分と闘ってきた成果がここにある。ひょっとしたら本人は私が思うほど苦労したとは感じていないのかもしれない。そうだとしたら、それがまた素晴らしいではないか。これは日々の鍛錬の積み重ねがもたらした栄光に他ならない。地道な毎日の繰り返しが人々の感動を呼ぶことをこの動画がまた証明してくれた。
　恐らくこの方はクリスチャンではない。キリスト教の神さまの存在すら知らない方かもしれない。最後振り返ってコースにお辞儀をした時、この方は何を思ったのだろう。競技場を整備してくれた会場の方や、大会を主催・運営してくれた関係者に対してのお礼だろうか。それとも今まで支えてくれた家族への感謝の気持ちだろうか。或いは、彼の人生そのものに感動した歓喜だろうか。表情は見えなかったが、きっと穏やかな顔をなさっていたのではないかと思う。満たされた喜びと共に。

　今日もまた、練習してるんだろうな～

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Wonderful Life

　While casually browsing social networking sites, a video of a senior citizens’ track and field meet caught my attention and I was glued to it. It was part of a small event that could not even be called a “competition” held in some rural area, and may have been a neighborhood association athletic meet. Even so, the event was held at an athletic field, and the contestants were wearing proper numbers. The video was a short one-minute video of elderly people competing in what was probably a 100-meter run. (It might have been 50m.)
　One of the contestants was a whopping 102 years old, and that alone made me take notice. The 102-year-old was very thin and looked so frail that I thought he might fall if not supported. Also, as is often the case with elderly people, his facial expression was poor and it was difficult to read his emotions, whether he was nervous or excited.
　The race started and the person began to run. The speed was not fast, of course, but he kept a steady tempo. He continued to run with his body facing slightly sideways toward the goal, but his direction of travel seemed to be straight toward the goal. He appeared to be steady as he was, and his breathing appeared to be almost unruly as he reached the finish line. Finally, he turned back to the course he had just finished running and bowed deeply. The people watching in the hall applauded him.

　I replayed the video over and over. I closed my eyes and chewed it over and over in my mind. It was so impressive that I had to remember it. It seemed to me that the video contained many important things in life.
　I am 57 years old now, and I am certainly still young compared to someone who is 102 years old. However, the fact that I naturally find myself glued to videos like this is evidence that I am starting to become aware of the end of my life. Videos that I would have previously passed by as “just an old man working hard” grabbed my attention and did not let go.

　I wonder how much training that 102-year-old had put in to get to that place. Perhaps he was once a well-known track and field athlete, but even if so, he could not have behaved like that at that age with ordinary effort. That alone is truly respectable.
　It would have been dangerous to engage in a certain amount of strenuous exercise at that age. If something were to happen, it could cause trouble for those around him. I know that he could only do this because he would have a family that would support him, but it is conceivable that not only those who understand him but also those who are not so understanding would say things like, “You are too old to be so mature,” or “What is the point of working out so hard now? I feel as if I have seen his way of life in which he has been working on his own path, breaking out of the norm in a positive sense, without being influenced by the people around him. I think it is truly wonderful.

　Here is the result of his struggle against physical and mental pain and himself. Perhaps he does not feel that he has struggled as much as I think he has. If so, that is also wonderful. This is nothing but the glory brought about by the accumulation of daily training. This video proves once again that the steady repetition of daily work is what moves people.
　Perhaps this person is not a Christian. He may not even know the existence of the Christian God. I wonder what he was thinking when he turned around and bowed to the course at the end. Was he thanking the people at the venue for maintaining the stadium, or the people involved in organizing and running the event? Or was it gratitude to his family for their support? Or was it the joy of being touched by his life itself? I could not see his face, but I am sure he had a peaceful expression on his face. With a joy filled with contentment.

　I wonder if he is practicing again today!