In Japanese
5:41 PM
About a year and a half ago, I sat
in a coffee shop with an almond-milk latte in one hand and Kinfolk,
volume eight in another. Reading through this volume, centered around
the Japanese culture, I found a little article introducing some
Japanese words that don't exist in English. Certain words spoke to me
so much that I did not want to forget them, so I wrote them in my
journal. Every now and then, I find myself looking back at that
journal entry and falling in love with these words all over again.
Wabi-sabi 侘寂
“'Wabi' is generally aligned with the
melancholic ache of romantic longing and 'sabi' with the unfolding of
time. Placing these two words together evokes an aesthetic of
seclusion, imperfection, and frugality that sheds light on the visual
appeal of objects and landscapes that are blemished, perishing,
fleeting and uncultivated.”
-defined by Danica Van de Velde-
Mottainai もったいない
“This is a phrase grandmas say a lot
… to encourage you to be more outgoing and seize the day, because
there is so much you have to offer the world and so much the world
can give you. This is a phrase to remind you not to waste things or
opportunities.”
-defined by Hitomi Thompson-
Ikigai 生き甲斐
“This is what you live for, the
passion and the purpose of your life. It is the joy found in living …
it is what you are trying to achieve from this life that you were
given.”
-defined by Hitomi Thompson-
Furusato 故郷
“Where you are from, your hometown
and birthplace. It made you who you are today … you can have a
second furusato, a place where your heart feels at home – you give
to it like it gives to you”
-defined by Hitomi Thompson-
Ichi-go Ichi-e一期一会
“This literally means 'one life, one
meeting/party/gathering/chance'. It's a word from tea ceremony that
reminds us to treasure each moment, because everything just happens
once in life. This gathering will never happen in the same way
again.”
-defined by Hitomi Thompson-
Mono no aware もののあわれ
“The understanding that the most
beautiful moments of life come right before the moment ends”.
-defined by Rebecca Parker Payne-
Sending love,
Maya
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