Beautiful road beneath my feet,
carrying me on my journey.
Beautiful road behind me, somewhere
carrying me on my journey.
Beautiful road ahead of me, nowhere certain,
carrying me on my journey.
Beautiful road, I thank you for your presence.
Beautiful Journey, I thank you for your gifts.
Slowly, she faded into the distance,
a distance we could not see,
for it was of the past.
The time between now
and a memory never lasts
nor spans more than a moment.
I knew not to seek her
any longer,
nor hope to find her
in my dreams.
But something kept me there
in that moment,
as I waited to understand
what it was
I needed
she needed
we needed
when the days are planned, they already seem as if they are over.
living in the moment is so important.
but what if the moment seems without purpose? is it best to live through the moment or live with the hope of a better future?
maybe it is just as important to feel such "undesireable" times with the same 100% attention and appreciation.
in so doing we seem to find our true strength, courage and ability.
in a time of crisis, confront the crisis. in a time of inactivity, enjoy the peace and gather new strength.
in times of work, apply oneself to the task in a complete and engaged manner so as to enjoy the act, and not labor over the obligation.
As I look to the world from within my house
I realize that all the doors are open,
for there never were doors,
nor were there windows,
nor the walls they seemed to protect.
All these days, I hid myself away
while the sun shone on the trees,
not realizing I too was among them,
in the warmth of a gentle sun,
although my eyes were closed
to the truth about me.
and now that I see, that my walls
are nothing more than air,
I too can see the vulnerability
in your spirit, that hides in its house,
unable to see a universe
without doors or walls.
Do not fear, for I will not walk
freely through the space
you have created around you.
It is best to let you open the door
and let me in,
even though I am but here
in this space, beside you
transparent to all but your eyes
and your heart.
Do not fear, your space is safe...
Dance freely in your heart...
"we do die"
What are you afraid of? Thinking you have a lifetime to think about the future, or the next time will be better?
yes, give yourself time. Be patient. But don't think time is forever.
If you are given another chance, it means someone believes in your abilities, not in your money, status or child-rearing potential.
Dance in the moonlight, bask in the sun. but don't stay there.
Movement is life, just as meditation is life. There are pauses, but around the pauses there is movement.
Be the maestro of your own personal concierto..
Every day is a day for revelation.
But, revelation is just another word for awareness
So, today, while sitting in the chair in the relaxation room, I looked to the left and into the Japanese room. It is winter, and cold, and I only open this room on sunny days.
Well, today is a sunny day. And, the sun that came through the “paper” doors presented an illusion of warm peace to an otherwise cold room. Luckily, the heat was on, and the warmth of the moment overcame the cold of the room.
I asked myself, “Where do I want to be?” “What are we all working for?” And I became aware that this, this moment, was the moment we were all searching for. Quiet.
Unfortunately, this kind of peace and quiet also brings fear. Many people are afraid of this quiet. It is the quiet of meditation. It is the quiet before the moment of awareness when we have to look inside ourselves.
If the love I have come to know
Were not so great
As I imagined
Would I cease to have loved.
When we make plans, and have hopes, eventually our dreams become reality.
And when we let ourselves live without expectation, eventualy reality takes the form of a dream.
So it was with New Years...
For a year, since I had to defer going to nasu in order to meet with a friend coming in from the states, I was finally able to set of for Kita Onsen. A winter wonderland, with all the potential of a marvelous experience. Even though I had been hoping to go there all year, I did not make reservations until November, and I was only able to reserve a spot for the night of the 30th.
So, being who I am, I felt it was in our best interest to go anyways, and maybe see if there was a cancellation for the 31st.
Imagine, a New Years under the stars in a sweet smelling onsen hidden in the snow covered mountains of Northern Japan. Contingency plan number one, if the hopeful cancellation did not happen, was to camp out. Yes, I did pack a tent in the car and had no qualms about sleeping in the snow if it meant an early morning bath in such a beautiful spot.
Of course, when we got to the Onsen the stting was amazing. A true winter wonderland, with snow capped mountains, steam coming from the nature hot springs, and a large snow covered Japanese Edo period house nestled tightly in its little nook.
Ahhh, dreams. So often richer from a distance. The insde was another matter. Fairly cold (I felt wrmer in my flip flops walking in the snow), with a dark atmoshpere. Okay. Still, there is the hot spring.
ahh, the beauty of getting naked and standing there with ice all around, gusts of wind blowing powder through the air. Test the water with a toe, and, OUCH. Scalding, scalding hot.
Well, the alternative is to stand there naked and freezing, or sink into the water and scorch my body. So, I stood there, then jumped in, and out, and in, and out, and finally was able to settle in for about a 2 minutes (maybe less). Any movement of course meant pain.
So, back out, onto the frozen wooden slats, a quick dry with a towel the size of a face cloth, and yukata (traditional japanese robes) back on.
Well, there is always the famed Ryokan food. (Ryokan is a traditional Japanese in, sometimes with onsen and noted for its great meals).
So, dinner comes along. Visually, as most people I am sure are aware, Japanese tend to be more concerned with presentation and taste than with the size of the portion. Here, we had an exception, at least in terms of the presentation and taste.
One would imagine a nice hot meal in such a cold climate. But no, not our hosts. I don't know if you have ever eaten cold sweet and sour chicken, but it doesn't get much worse than when served in a cold room, and I mean atmosphere more than temperature here.
To give you an idea. Many guests did not finish their meals, and the topic of conversation when we met tended towards how disappointing the food was.
At least the sake was warm.
Ah. Dreams. So often much richer from afar.
In the mornig, after a bath in the large outdoor pool, which had finally been filled, we gathered our things to leave. Perhaps sleeping in the tent wouldn't be such a bad idea, and far less expensive.
Up the hill, start the car. Car stalls. Try again. Battery goes poof. "Sumimasen (excuse me), jumpa keiburu arimasu ka". (You can guess, can't you.)
Okay. RAV4 is going and we're off down the hill. Just one slide into the snowbank on a steep turn, but other than that driving is okay. Except that we ran out of washer fluid and the windshield was gathering road spray. Uhg.
Maybe lunch in town would be good. Down tourist lane. Back up tourist lane. back down tourist lane. Back up turist lane..... and finally, its settled. A little restaurant next to the driving range offering beef stew. (we seriously thought about hitting a bucket of balls befoer eating).
I we walk. And, I feel like I am walking into someone's grandmothers house in 1980 somewhere in New Bedford. Wow. Shock!!
Sit down and order. The atmoshpere is quaint, but somehow quieter than a library. Odd feeling for a restaurant I must say.
Okay, beef stew. ERRR. Beef with packaged stew mix poured on top. 50% fat and far from mouthwatering. But, at least it was expensive. Ah, tourist lane.
Well, so much for planning and a dream New Years. Where shall we go then. "Lets go to Nikko"....
.... to be continued....
Over a week ago, my car was broken into. The person commiting the crime was probably a professional, or at least experienced. Nothing else in the car was stolen except the wallet, nor anything else touched except the smashed window.
Perhaps it was my fault, some would say. I left the wallet on the front seat of the car, clearly in sight of anyone looking directly into my car.
Now, I am not fully unaware of the potential of man to do unto others before they do unto you. So, when I shut my door and looked at my wallet on the seat, I said to myself, "Shouldn't leave it there." But then the other part of me said, "It will be okay. We are in Japan after all." In addition, the parking area is in an enclosed area, and nobody other than a car owner, one of 14, would enter that area.
In addition, it is my belief that one should be able to leave one's windows open and doors unlocked without fear of something being stolen or damaged. That's how it used to be when I was a kid, and that is how it used to be in Japan.
So, when I returned to my car almost 24 hours later to find my window smashed in, there were two thoughts, "Damn it, someone broke into my car, and, I cannot go to the gym."
It is amazing how the mind can both experience a certain level of shock and realism at the same time. Yes, I was angry I would have to take care of the car and that someone had violated my space. I was also angry that someone had taken away my time, both in terms of the work I had to do to pay for the damages and my personal time for working on my mind and body. But, anger gets nothing done by just letting anger build. Energy must eventually be channeled before it becomes destructive (this is the same with love and any other emotion).
The police were called, the bank was called, the mechanic was called. The act of vandalism and robbery was discussed, but with only the slight amounts of heightened blood pressure that accompanied the first time I was vandalized in such a way in Mexico.
The difference I am realizing is the level of acceptance and the "shoganai" atttitude of those around me. "Shoganai", in a more complete understanding means, "nothing can be done, so let it go." Or, as we also call it, equanimity.
8 days later, the act of vandalism has served as a test of my ability to accept reality and to move on, as well as served as a reminder to be more aware of my space and the intuitive voice within (the one some call "our Guardian Angel"). My inner voice had warned me not to leave the wallet behind, and I didn't bring thought to action.
Is this act my fault then? No. The simple act of owning something and having faith that it is safe is not an act of fault. Perhaps it was slightly careless, but this does not put me at fault.
Responsibility falls to the person who, intentionally and without provocation, committed an act of harm against someone else.
I accept there are such people in this universe. It is not mine to be vengeful, even though such thoughts did cross my mind. Nor does it mean turn the other cheek. I did after all go to the police, and I am sharing my experience with others. Not to scare them, but to increase awareness.
Acceptance is not to be ignorant, but to be aware and to act.
Welcome to Pacific-Trades Blog.
This blog is to be used for Massage, Yoga, and other related bodywork in Japan.
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