Give my mouth a vacation

"Shall I get a bottle of wine for Christmas?" My husband asked on Christmas Day last year.

"I don't want to drink. If you want to drink, do as you please."

"I don't really want to drink either. Just thinking about it makes me feel like the sour taste is going up my esophagus. It's my first Christmas without alcohol."

"So do I. Resist as if my body can't stand it any longer. It's a sign to stop. Glad we got a signal together! We saved money for a drink. Prices have gone up a lot. I'll add another side dish for dinner instead of the price of alcohol."

In early 1990, my husband was surprised by the absurd price of cigarettes, along with the socially noisy anti-smoking campaign, and gave up at once. I stopped drinking only last spring because I didn't try to stop drinking. Suddenly, I got a signal from my body saying, "Stop drinking, please." I didn't mean to cut it off, but what I was doing every day naturally stopped. I haven't had a drink in almost a year since this spring, so maybe I've really quit?

Now all I have to do is shut my mouth. That makes the disease and the source of trouble. There is a saying that says, "When you get older, you should close your mouth and open your wallet." I've only been criticized for opening my wallet. 'If you open your wallet, open it wide, and once you open it, keep it open.' I heard a sarcastic voice saying that I didn't keep my mouth shut while opening my wallet. Better to close my mouth and wallet.

If I drink, smoke, and talk a lot often, the cost I have to pay is not easy. It is also very bad for health. Entering early winter, there was always a sore throat. When I thought about it, I suffered from a sore throat because I had opened my mouth, and I couldn't eat because my stomach was upset, and in the end, I had a lot of sickness accompanied by vertigo. Why didn't I know that just keeping my mouth shut would help me a lot? When I sleep, I put tape on my open mouth because I'm afraid it'll dry my mouth and cause germs. Even now that many people have taken off their masks, I still wear them.

Due to the pandemic, I did not have the opportunity to face people often, so I had no choice but to remain silent like a monk who meditated naturally. I don't enjoy talking on the phone, so there are few opportunities to speak. However, my mouth, which has been closed for a long time, opens on its own when the opportunity arises. I cannot stop chatting like a submachine gun. If I keep my mouth shut, I can stop criticizing others. I feel comfortable because I do not hurt the opponent by criticizing. The problem is that keeping my mouth shut, which is good for mental health, is harder than quitting smoking or drinking.

I'll try to resemble a cactus that tolerates thirst quietly and looking out the window toward the sunlight while waiting for my touch.