What a Shoehorn Taught Me
靴べらが教えてくれたこと
最近、お気に入りの道具がある。それは、玄関に置かれている一本の靴べらだ。
それまで私は、靴べらというものを使って靴を履くことは、ほとんどなかった。家にも小さなものがあったが、一度も手にしたことはない。なぜなら、それは男性が使う道具という思い込みがあったからだと思う。
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ある日、SNSを通じて知り合いになった棟梁から、手作りの一品が届けられた。
柄の長さや先端の形、立てて置くための台まで、使う人への思いやりが感じられる。玄関に置いて眺めていると、それだけで心が和む。朝の光を受けた木肌はやさしく輝き、床に映る影まで美しかった。
棟梁は茶室や老舗旅館の修繕、和の趣を大切にした住まいづくりを手掛けている。
SNSに投稿される棟梁の仕事の写真を見るのも楽しみの一つだ。画面越しなのに木の香りまで伝わってくるようで、一本の木が少しずつ削られ、新しい形へと生まれ変わっていく。木の声を聴いて対話しているのだろう。見ている私は、そのつど感動し、ため息が漏れる。
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せっかくだから、さっそく使ってみた。
いつもなら人差し指でかかとを押し込みながら履く私も、これを添えるだけで驚くほど自然に足が収まる。鏡に映る自分を見て「あれ、なんだか素敵」と思わず笑ってしまった。
たった一本の道具なのに、所作まで変わる。不思議なものだなぁと思う。丁寧に作られたものは、使う人の動きまで丁寧にしてくれるのかもしれない。
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毎朝、キラキラとした靴べらを手にとる。少しだけ背筋が伸びる。今日もまた丁寧に暮らしてみようと思う。
What a Shoehorn Taught Me
Recently, I have a favorite tool. It is a single shoehorn that sits in my entranceway.
Until then, I had hardly ever used a shoehorn to put on my shoes. There was a small one at home, but I had never once picked it up. I think it was because I had a preconceived notion that a shoehorn is a tool for men.
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One day, a handmade piece arrived from a master carpenter I had come to know through SNS.
Everything — the length of the handle, the shape of the tip, even the stand that lets it stand upright — showed his thoughtfulness for the person who would use it. Just looking at it in the entranceway calms my heart. Its wooden surface, receiving the morning light, glowed softly, and even its shadow on the floor was beautiful.
The carpenter’s work includes repairing tea rooms and long-established ryokan inns, and building homes that cherish the spirit of Japanese aesthetics.
Seeing the photos of his work posted on SNS is one of my pleasures. Even through a screen, the scent of wood seems to reach me, as a single piece of wood is shaved little by little and reborn into a new form. He must be listening to the voice of the wood, in dialogue with it. Each time I watch, I am moved, and a sigh escapes me.
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Since it had come to me, I tried it right away.
I, who usually push my heel in with my index finger as I put on my shoes, found that with this beside my foot, my foot settled in surprisingly naturally. Seeing myself in the mirror, I could not help smiling — “Oh, somehow this looks lovely.”
With just a single tool, even my movements changed. How mysterious, I thought. Perhaps something made with care makes even the movements of its user more careful.
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Every morning, I take the gleaming shoehorn in hand. My back straightens, just a little. Today, too, I will try to live carefully.
