Freelance announcer Aika Kanda: “The goal my husband and I set for this year.”

“What kind of year is this going to be for both of you?”

Have you all started working toward achieving the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? For me, I’ve always disliked how I make resolutions but end up doing nothing each year. This time, though, I’m determined to make it happen.

I have two goals for this year. The first is to become fluent in English! In mid-January, I enrolled in an English conversation class. I’ve already attended eight sessions and have established a regular pace. I’ll update you if there’s any progress.

The second goal, which I set with my husband, is to go out for dinner once a month at a restaurant we each want to try. Before we got married, almost all our dates included eating out. But after getting married, to save money and address my husband’s weight concerns, we drastically reduced the frequency of dining out. During the pandemic, it became almost non-existent, and that routine has continued until now.

However, my husband’s daily walking routine isn’t just for health but also for discovering appealing restaurants. It’s no fun finding great spots if you never go. Also, I sometimes want a break from thinking about dinner, and, above all, I want us to be a couple who still goes on dinner dates no matter how old we get. So, when we talked about what kind of year we wanted to make, we set this goal.

We’ve decided to alternate months for choosing the restaurant. The rule is to pick a place where you either want to treat your partner to a meal or simply want to go together, and we’ll take turns each month.

January was my husband’s turn. He picked a yakitori restaurant in Ebisu, a place he used to frequent before we got married. I wondered, “Why didn’t you ever take me there on our dates?” but I buried the thought to avoid any arguments on our first outing of the year.

The food was delicious. My husband seemed a little worried and kept asking, “Hey Aika, honestly, really, how is it? Is it good?” When I said, “It’s great!” his face lit up with a big smile, and seeing him like that made me eat even more.

Satisfied both physically and emotionally, we got on the train home and arrived at our local station. As we walked toward home, my husband suddenly stopped and said, “Oh, wait a second.” He placed one hand against a nearby wall, straightened his back, and crossed his legs. Seeing that, I blurted out, “Ah! The standing cross!”

The standing cross is my husband’s go-to posture for preventing bowel leakage. By crossing his legs while standing, his anus is firmly compressed between his buttocks, effectively sealing it. Holding this posture for several seconds can suppress mild bowel urges.

I had completely forgotten, but my husband always gets an upset stomach after dining out. I felt a wave of nostalgia and warmth seeing him unchanged.

But the fact that the standing cross appeared meant we were in serious trouble. We made slow progress, stopping every 20 meters or so for him to perform the standing cross. That night, things escalated to the point where he had to resort to the “heel stop” as well.