For many years now, my life motto has been “do your best”. It comes with the caveat that “your best” looks different from day to day, moment to moment, but do the best that you’re capable of at that moment in time. It’s something that I hold close to heart, as I’ve struggled with bipolar disorder and social anxiety, and the strained relationships that tend to come with that mix. I’m not always perfect in my interactions with people, but doing my best is something I strive to.
I didn’t remember where this specific phrase came from. I just adopted it at one point, figuring that it suited me, and tried to live it every day. Well… last night, it came back to me. I’ve been watching the full Fruits Basket series for the first time ever; I watched the original series years back but it only went through 1/3 of the manga. I also read the manga at the time, and it’s one of my favorite stories of all time. But the show got rebooted a few years back, and I watched the first season as it aired but never watched the other two until now. Finally, I’m sitting down and watching the whole thing… and it’s great. Using my “memory loss privilege” to keep guessing about specific plot points that I only remember vaguely, and be completely surprised all over again about others.
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| Literally me. |
Anyway, I’m now well into season 2, which the original run of the anime never got to. So, for the first time, I hear Tohru say the words: “Do your best.” She’s pleading to Yuki, who has problems with showing his emotions and relating to others, and has a fraught relationship with his parents. He remembers these words from her at a particularly tumultuous stand-off with his mother, and he takes it to heart. Instead of letting her storm off or fighting with her, he “does his best”, what his best is in that moment and situation: he responds with a bit of compassion. Not much, he doesn’t have much to give his parents after everything he’s gone through, but a little. He does his best.
And… there it is. I’ve carried this one phrase from the manga with me since 2013. (Remember, the original anime series never got this far, so it was only in the manga at that point.) It’s a phrase that’s guided me to constantly try to be a better person day by day. And, honestly, I think Tohru Honda would be proud of me for that.
I love how you can carry parts of a book with you without even realizing it.
I love Fruits Basket for its entire story (and Kyo has my whole heart), but one thing I absolutely love is Tohru’s optimism and patience. It has a darker side to it as well, of course, but her faith in people has always been amazing. Honestly, she reminded me a lot of my childhood best friend Jenna (and I was the bipolar, angry Kyo), who was always happy and optimistic despite being dealt a shitty hand in life (she died of cystic fibrosis a year after I read this series, actually). Tohru believes in everyone to do their best. So I will.
Additionally, for a fun anecdote: I’ve been collecting the Fruits Basket manga but have only been able to get up to volume 5 (of the collector’s edition) so far, because that’s all my Barnes & Noble carries (and my indie store doesn’t carry it at all). The closest B&N near me that had this particular volume (7) was 40 miles away, and I just wasn’t feeling up to that drive yesterday just to take one picture for this post. Thankfully, a nearby library, but one I almost never go to personally, had it on the shelf, so I swung by and picked it up. While I was there, I was browsing other stuff… and a random patron asked me for help with finding something. Apparently I exude librarian vibes so much that even at random libraries, people think I work there and can help.
