Fascinated by Laser-Engraved Art, Yet Struggling with Passwords Again — New Discoveries at Eden Saturday, October 31, 2026 Day 6 After Discharge

Tomorrow will mark exactly one week since I was discharged from Eden. I left the hospital on October 26. Time certainly passes quickly.

Recently, an exhibition of residents’ artwork opened in the spacious display area on the first floor of Eden. There are all kinds of works on display: calligraphy, delicate handmade dolls, illustrated postcards, oil paintings, and more. There are even collections of illustrated postcards that residents have been creating for many years. I could sense the time and personal feelings that each artist had put into their work.

Among all the exhibits, what particularly caught my attention were some laser-engraved pieces made by a male resident.

One was the word “Imagine,” engraved in white on a black aluminum plate. It is the song by John Lennon, written with a wish for world peace. When I was a high school teacher, I studied the lyrics with my students, and we sometimes sang the song together. Seeing it again brought back fond memories.

The other piece was “The Rose,” engraved on a wooden board. It is the song sung by Bette Midler, although I had never really known it before.

What first fascinated me was actually not the songs themselves, but the laser-engraving technique.

How could letters be engraved onto a board like that? Does a machine burn the shapes of the letters into the surface? Is the process different for wood and aluminum? One question after another came to mind.

Then I used the English words on the artworks as clues to look up the songs and explore the meanings of their lyrics. I had known “Imagine” for a long time, but “The Rose” was a song I was discovering in depth for the first time.

“The Rose” was written and composed by Amanda McBroom in the late 1970s. She felt uncomfortable with the idea of describing love as something like a razor or an unquenchable hunger. Instead, she wanted to express the idea that love is something to be nurtured, like a flower.

The song became widely known after Bette Midler sang it in the 1979 film of the same name.

If “Imagine” expresses a wish for world peace, “The Rose” tells us that even a wounded heart still has the power to bloom again. These two songs, born in roughly the same era, reached me in very different ways.

Still, what left the strongest impression on me at this exhibition was the laser engraving itself.

Apparently, the artist is a male resident who lives at Eden with his wife. I found his name on the exhibition display, but I still don’t know what he looks like. If I happen to have an opportunity to meet him and talk, I would love to ask him about his work.

Does he own a laser-engraving machine at home? If so, how big is it? Does it take up much space? If someone makes many pieces, they must also need somewhere to store them. I even found myself wondering how heavy they were.

Perhaps these are none of my business, but such thoughts crossed my mind as I looked at his work.

There are still so many people at Eden whom I don’t know. If I live here long enough, perhaps I will eventually have a chance to talk with him. Art can sometimes bring people together.

Now, there was one more thing that happened today.

I tried logging in to my health insurance mutual aid association’s website for the first time to submit a medical expense reimbursement claim online. However, I needed a username and password.

Apparently, they had been printed in a newsletter from the mutual aid association that had been sent to me from Shizuoka. Unfortunately, I had already thrown that newsletter away.

I couldn’t find the information online, either. In the end, I will have to wait until Monday and call them to ask.

Once again: a username and password.

Ever since I switched to my new iPhone, I have struggled with banking procedures. Now I have run into the same problem while trying to claim medical expenses.

How much longer will I have to keep struggling with usernames and passwords?

At this point, I feel as though I am cursed by passwords!

Life after discharge still involves plenty of little inconveniences and administrative tasks. Even so, today I discovered a new technique through the art exhibition and encountered music I had never really explored before.

Not everything is troublesome.

Taking an interest in something unfamiliar, looking it up, and gradually discovering a wider world around me.

That, too, was part of my day.

#LifeAtEden #ArtExhibition #LaserEngraving #Imagine #TheRose #BetteMidler #MusicalDiscoveries #LifeAfterDischarge #PasswordTroubles #EverydayDiscoveries