Every August, many people in Japan celebrate Obon. It is a traditional Japanese Buddhist event to honor the spirits of our ancestors. During this time, many people get together with their families and relatives or visit relatives to say hello.

This season has come again.

I still live in the town where I was born and raised, and many of my relatives live nearby. So during Obon, I have more chances to see my uncles, aunts, and other relatives.

And since I’m almost 30, I have some worries that come with being this age.

Sometimes, older relatives ask me, “When are you going to get married?” or “What about having children?”

If I hear these questions only once, they don’t bother me very much. But when I hear them again and again, and when I see my friends getting married or having children, I start to feel pressure without even realizing it.

The strange thing is that I want to live my life in my own way. I don’t usually compare myself with other people.

Still, when these comments and things around me start to pile up, I sometimes feel as if there is one “right timeline” for life.

If I want to have children someday, I know that age is something I need to think about. Some people tell me that I should think about when I want to have children and plan my life backward from there.

I don’t think their advice is wrong. Actually, I think some of it is realistic and makes sense.

That’s what makes it difficult for me.

I can’t simply say, “I don’t need to worry about that.” But if I take every comment seriously, I slowly start telling myself, “I need to get married,” or “If I want children, I need to hurry.”

No one is forcing me to do anything, but somehow, I still feel like I’m running out of time.

Maybe that is the “invisible pressure” I’m feeling right now.