Today too,
Ono Karori
The hydrangeas in the garden make me feel refreshed during the rainy season.
Today, July 1st, marks the final day of a 15-day exhibition by "Oakjin," a family-run inn, cafe and shop on the island of Shodoshima in the Seto Inland Sea.
Thank you to everyone who came out despite the rain.
It's a shame to see the bamboo hut standing inside the store go.
Sitting on the wooden stand of Oak's work, you can feel at ease in this space.
The scenery looks different when you look outside from a different perspective. Thank you for the new perspective.
The same flow of energy as when I stayed at the inn on Shodoshima was flowing here,
I was reminded that it is their presence that makes this flow possible.
They arrived from Shodoshima five days before the exhibition and spent about two weeks living under the same roof with four adults and seven children.
There's no room to move because of all the toys, someone is crying every few minutes, there are fights...
It's total chaos and there's no such thing as a daily routine.
However, they help each other out when times are tough, cook meals for each other, take care of each other, and smiles are never far away.
Everyday living, the act of living is the act of living
Representing the act of living
As the saying goes, the Oak family itself is an expression.
In the midst of all this, I began to think about my lifestyle once again.
It was the magazine "Kurashi no Techo" that first got me interested in "living."
I picked up the first issue I had when I was 22 years old and read it.
When do people feel happy?
How are you all?
Please take a moment to think about it if you like.”
" wrote Yataro Matsuura, the editor-in-chief at the time.
How was it? Did it come to you right away?
When I was 22 years old
"When taking a bath" "Sleeping on a futon that has been dried in the sun"
Not much has changed now, but what's more, what's even more amazing is that my family is healthy.
Seeing my family smiling makes me happy, and makes me feel grateful that they are always supporting me and having me there.
The magazine continued:
People feel happy when they have a deep human connection with someone.
It's the treasure we receive when we feel a deep connection with friends, family, lovers, and colleagues.
I've been married for 13 years, and sometimes I think there's nothing more troublesome than having a family.
There were times (and still are) when I thought that having children meant I couldn't do anything.
But if I hadn't chosen to get married back then, how would I have lived these past 13 years?
I try to imagine a parallel world.
Because I'm lazy and don't want to get hurt
At the beginning of our marriage, we used to avoid arguments and keep quiet, but suddenly I started to hate everything.
There were times when I thought, "I want to go live alone in a remote place" lol
But after spending 13 years with my family, I have come to understand them better.
By sharing both the good times and the bad, you can get to know each other's different sides.
It's hard to tell when you're in the middle of a stressful situation,
One day, you suddenly realize that you are feeling great joy and a smile.
I think this is when I feel happy.
Perhaps it is because during my time with the Oak family, I felt that the bond between them was truly wonderful.
This is a sentence from the Living Handbook that I didn't fully understand when I was single, even though I was only thinking about myself.
Now, through this coincidence, it has finally sunk in.
My husband and I always say, "Wow, how can things get so messy in just one day?"
I'm sure when they become a married couple, they will look back on what a messy, chaotic, and lovely life they lived.
At the end of the book there was always the phrase "Be careful today too."
I live my life today because I admire those words,
I won't let it be that easy! Life isn't easy!
And so today, the little ones' morning begins with someone spilling their breakfast soup, and the kids are filled with crying, anger, and laughter.
Well, what kind of day will it be today?
I hope you all have a day filled with happiness⚪︎
