Playing badminton as an occupation

2024/03/28

I have written about how Fumiko’s engagement in playing badminton

supported her to have fun recreation and relaxing time for herself.

That promoted her health and well-being.

Today I want to share with you more about a view of playing badminton

as an occupation and about occupational balance from these angles:

              the form of the occupation of playing badminton,

              the function of the occupation,

              and the meaning of the occupation of playing badminton as an occupation.

To look at playing badminton in a big occupational picture,

let’s imagine Fumiko engaging in playing badminton. 

Playing badminton as an occupation

Situation:

Fumiko is a woman in her sixties and a housewife in a three generation family.

When she was a college student, she belonged to a tennis club and enjoyed

a wide circle of friends.

After college she worked as a care giver but when she married,

she quit her job.

Later Fumiko started working for a factory and was busy with child care,

housework and her job.

She was always restless and irritated in her family life, just repeating

a daily job-housework-sleep cycle.

To Fumiko the environment’s challenge was

that she has worked hard for her family’s benefit but

she was tired and irritated in her family life, and

that affected her health and well-being.

One day her son invited Fumiko to join him in a community badminton circle.

She refused his invitation because she was busy with her housework

but she eventually went to the badminton circle with her son.

Form of the occupation:

Fumiko tried joining the community badminton circle.

Men and women, young and old, play badminton every Tuesday evening

in an elementary school gym in her neighborhood.

Fumiko had a very fun time in the badminton circle,

much more than she had expected.

She looked forward to joining again and she has been playing badminton

for ten years.

She enjoyed chatting and mail communication with young members.

She participated in the matches and cheered her teammates. 

She wore the team uniform that she proposed all make.

Tuesday badminton was a big event in her week.

In order to make it easier to join in playing badminton,

she used a time-saving recipe on Tuesday.

Function of the occupation:  

Fumiko has believed that working hard for her family’s benefit is

valuable but she had no fun time for herself and she was restless and tired.

Working hard for her family’s benefit caused her problem of

health and well-being.

That was the environment’s challenge to Fumiko.

Now I will show you how Fumiko faced the environment’s challenge

using the occupation of playing badminton.

Here is effects of the occupation of playing badminton.

              -It inspired Fumiko to change her daily life.

　　　　-It gave her experience of fun recreation and relaxing time for herself.

              -Fumiko looked forward to joining in playing badminton again and again.

              -It supported her to develop belongingness through enjoying

with others and being herself.

              -Finally, it supported her to add balance in her family life.      

Fumiko tried playing badminton.

Moving her body and having fun time with others inspired her to

playing badminton again.

That brought her a chance to change her life.

It was a long time since she had fun time for herself.

That is the beginning for her to punch (face) her environment’s challenge.

She wasn’t the same as before she joined the club.  

She looked forward to joining in playing badminton again

and used time-saving recipe for Tuesday’s dinner.

Fumiko’s agency faced her environment’s challenge and stepped forward

to have fun time for herself in the next weeks.

She also made belongingness through interactions in badminton practice

on Tuesday and in mail communication with the circle members.

She also participated in badminton games and cheered her circle members

wearing the team uniform she proposed all make.

That made her belongingness more stable and secure.

Through enjoying in playing badminton, she developed satisfaction

and fulfillment in her life and recovered her original energy

she had when she was young.

Through joining in playing badminton, she also improved

balance in her family life.

Meaning of the occupation：

Have you ever heard “a good wife and wise mother”

as a role model of woman in Japanese culture?

Although I think many cultures and countries have had such a model.

Fumiko has been a mother and a wife in a three generation family in Japan

and she has expected and has been expected to be a good wife

and wise mother.

When she was invited to join in playing badminton,

she refused to do so with the excuse that she was busy with her housework.

Her excuse showed that she valued working hard for her family

as a good wife and wise mother more than doing for herself. 

That is an example that a cultural value influences not only the people

in the society but the woman herself, like Fumiko,

on how she behaved and what she chose to do.

Fumiko wasn’t any exception.

She has worked hard for her family as a good wife and wise mother

for many years and lost liveliness she had when she was young.

Influenced with such a cultural value, many women work hard

for their family’s benefit, then they live a restless life and

have few time for themselves.

It is not sure whether Fumiko thought about the cultural value or not,

but she punched her environment’s challenge using playing badminton

to have fun of recreation and relaxing time for herself and add

a good balance to her family life.