The Word "Arigato"

The Japanese word "arigato," which means "thank you," has its origin in Buddhism. The adjective of the word "arigatai" literally means "almost impossible" or "miraculous."

Considering there are so many creatures in the world, I have to admit it was miraculous I was born as a human being; there should have been many more chances for me to be born as another creature, or not to be born at all. It was even more miraculous we met each other and made friends.

When I think of this miracle of life I cannot help feeling deep joy inside myself. Life is beautiful because it is miraculous and I appreciate it all the more because I know there will be an end to it.

So I would like to say "arigato" to all for not only being my friends but making me alive; my life is chained to all the other creatures and without these chains I would not be able to stay alive.

New Leaves in Okinawa

Now mountains and hills in Okinawa are freshly green with new leaves. I was going to take a lot of pictures and then after taking only one picture the battery went dead.
Oh well. Maybe next time.

Today my husband and I went to see pressed flowers art exhibition and after we saw it we had a chance to make post cards using pressed flowers. Mines didin't turn out so good, but my husband made good ones. What you can see on the right is one of the cards he made.

Beautiful Pictures of Okinawa

Today I found some of the most beautiful pictures of Okinawa in the form of a video. It made me cry; they are going to build a heliport for the US military on the sea coast right near my apartment complex and that is the sea where dougongs are said to live. I have never encountered any dugongs but I was awestruck by the beauty of the sea when I snorkeled for the first time around an inhabitated island off that very coast. Now the sea has already become dirtier because of the drilling survey and the submergence of an amphibious vehicle owned by US military.
If only there were no human beings the earth would remain as green and as beautiful as ever. We should be ashamed of our own greediness because I believe what is happening in the outside world is a reflection of our own mind.
Anyway, I hope more people will watch this video and kindly think about what our goverment, together with the US, is going to do to this beautiful island.

This video was taken and edited by nakamura10ban san and its original URL is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKbSIgWGFYs

On My Birthday

It is my birthday today. Am I supposed to be happy and celebrate it?
Though getting old is usually not a happy event for people who are already old enough, I still regard it right to celebrate one's birthday, because the celebration is not for the sake of getting old, but for the fact that you were born and are here now.
This year, just like the last three years, I am going to celebrate my birthday with my husband. Although we got married only three years ago, we have been together for such a long time. It seems we will be able to stay together for many more years since we both are quite healthy, but who knows? An accident could happen at any moment or there might be some cruel disease hiding deep inside our body, waiting for the right time to develop, and even if we survive to be quite old, the day will surely come when we have to be separated by death. Death is always with us. We are just adjourning the moment we face it.
The idea of death being with us all the time makes me feel like cherishing this moment to the full. Every moment is so precious I don’t want to waste it in complaining or arguing. I would rather try my best to make each moment full of love and laughter. I am happy being alive so that I can love, and I am even happier I have someone to celebrate my birthday with.

Flowers in Okinawa

Do you love flowers? I am sure most of us do and I am not the exception.
The flowers I like best are cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, wisterias, azaleas and cosmoses and I began to fancy orchids and morning glories after I came to Okinawa.

I used to think morning glories were very feeble and artificial because they couldn't grow without riders to support them, but I learned after I came to Okinawa that they grew wild in the bush and I knew for the first time what their vines were for. They wind themselves around not only tree trunks but almost everything they can and grow high in the bush, delighting our eyes with the reddish blue flowers.There are many other kinds of flowers I had thought were supposed to grow in a flower pot until I found them growing wild in Okinawa.

Because the seasons are not so distinct in Okinawa as on the mainland, the period of time you can observe a particular type of flower is rather long.
For instance when I lived in the mainland, cosmos was a flower you could enjoy seeing only in the autumn, but here in Okinawa, you can find them from November to May, and I am really happy about that because they are so admirable when their slender bodies sway in the breeze. In Okinawa the most famous place for cosmos viewing is a flower field called Kaguyahime, where you can see a carpet of cosmos flowers on the hill overlooking the ocean.

The following is the Haiku I made

as slender as a girl
cosmos sways easily, pink red and white
in the breeze as playful as a child

SESON WORD: cosmos
SEASON: from late autumn to early summer