The mirror

It happens to be Tuesday today. Yesterday was Monday and the day before Sunday. Sunday I found myself looking in the mirror in the boys bathroom at Shibuya Station. Sometimes when I look into mirrors it is as though I reach a check point. It happens less and less recently, but I looked in the mirror that day and realized I was in Japan and in Tokyo and this was my life. Sometimes I flash back to a winter scene, my skies over my shoulder, the crunch of the snow as I punch steps up to a ski mountain. Each crunch helps dim the static feeling in my toes as they gradually grow cold. I switch my ski's from my left side to my right side every couple of minutes to stop the cold from invading my right or left hand. My hands and feet are always cold on these days, but the snow is delightful and my breath comes out misty warm. The air is fresh and clear. I'm about to get the feeling of powder skiing once again. Sometimes I flash to a brilliant orange sunset over canyon walls no shirt on this day letting the warm last rays hit my skin and dry the water off my back. The last rays of sun cast diamond flickers on the rivers edge and make my eyes squint. As I looked into the mirror that day I noticed I was in a different scene. I hint of perspiration at my brow from lugging my guitar around the stations, the background blur of Japanese station personal informing the populous, and sometimes the familiar JR Chimes that accompany the station experience. I had just finished baking tasty cookies with my good companion and the left over banana still lingered in my thoughts as well. This is what sometimes happens when I look in a mirror in some places. A surge of adventures rush up and give me a current standing point as to my position and the change that is about me. That day I'm wearing a black shirt, a belt, nice pants. Then I move on. Striking off I soon found myself in the hustle and bustle of the station once again. I like the different flavors that Tokyo offers. When I step off the train at Tokyo station later that day the mood is all together different. There is an old wholesome feel that I can smell.

Somtimes

Sometimes I drive down the road near my house and look out at the beautiful countryside around me. The sun glitters in lighting up the rice fields in morning fire. Every morning starts with a cold shower followed by an hour of meditation and the day starts out minty fresh right after I brush my teeth. Today for the first time my teacher is out of the school so I will be teaching the middle school kids by myself. I prepared the lesson at the beginning of the week and presented it to the powers that be. They seemed satisfied and I'm eager to try out the game on my 3 classes of kids. It is a beautiful morning. Blue sky paints across Naraha blending in with the sweater of the sea. I walk in to my middle school to the song of Imagine by the Beatles ringing in the cool morning air coming through the school speakers. The kids are outside in full uniform standing outside and they greet me as I make my way to the entrance. Lately my lovely companion and I have stumbled across a scrumptious cookie recipe.
((((2 bananas are mashed mashed mashed in a bowl followed by two spoons of maple syrup and then 2 spoons of non-sweetened soymilk. Then one hefty spoonful of peanut butter is added to the mix ( use a big spoon such as a Tea spoon for spoons to be used.. good for stirring Tea as well! やぱりね！）yapari...ne (just as I suspected) and stirring commences. While that is under way a little vanilla extract is added and mixed as well cinnamon and any spice that tickles your fancy please さきにどうぞ (go ahead) sakinidozo... The dry mix takes up the other bowl and contains 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour and and 2 cups of dry steel cut oatmeal-- mix, mix, mix and then add to the wet mix and then mix, mix, mix. In Japan we don't have ovens and so I cook the cookies in my toaster oven at maximum settings (200 degrees). Make little balls with your mix and butter the pan with peanut butter. Pop them in and wait 10 to 12 minutes. Then eat preferably with a peanut butter banana soy milk smoothie! The design yields about 15 to 20 small cookies that go great with blueberry Jam as well.

))))))) :) All the ingredients are fresh as can be. The peanut butter "almond butter works wonders too" is organic the maple syrup is organic. The bananas come from Banana Trees... Ahhh to be a Banana Tree!!
- There is a macrobiotic grocery store in nearby Iwaki that my good friend James showed me a couple of months ago and I frequently visit and retrieve ingredients and morsels and drink tea that is offered. I'd like to live there I think. They have food from around the world there. Cookies from France, Bread from Germany, China, Thailand maybe too. This weekend I venture to Tokyo and visit my friend who is currently married too the Daughter of the grandparents who run the store. The world is small I know!! That is why we must all climb.

Good Morning!

Well lets countinue the story!

Sometimes I go swimming. When I swim all the thoughts go out the window. It is just me, my heart and the water and a forward progression. I get to be a science geek when I'm swimming. I start pondering the quantum physics of my actions. Sometimes I zoom out my perspective and see myself from space in a small pool going back in forth. Each time I stretch my arms a little further. I work on snapping my shoulders from side to side reaching out further each time. It's lovely to swim with other Japanese swimmers and take breaks and speak Japanese to them. Some of them swam in High School, College and others just enjoy the sport. Usually I swim for about 45 minutes pushing myself to swim 15 minutes more sometimes. Sometimes I start out with a 15 minute swim and lose my distance, just enjoying the pace. I think of man as a machine when I'm swimming. Each arm is a piston driving towards some far wall. Sometimes I focus in on my breathing coming in slow and then fast, but in rhythm. I witness the energy that I have being transferred to movement.
The other night I took off on a run as well. It was a split moment decision as most of my runs are. One moment I'm in indoor clothes and the next moment I'm gliding down the hill by my home passing the small grocery store on my left and on this night a big white full moon lights up. The wind rushes and each step gives me grounding to Earth. I realize that I am. My stomach feels tight and yet smooth like butter on bread. Again I see myself from Space and see this little dot making it's way to the big blue sea. The waves are crashing in the distance, but the full moon fills my eyes and controls the sea. I feel small and yet good that there is a moon there to take over to lead. Just the other day someone commented to me "you know the moon... you can stare at the moon.... you can't stare at the sun..., but you can stare at the moon" I remember that comment as I shed my thin coat and toss it to the side of the road. Heat escapes and reveals the energy that was hidden inside my coat and now I'm light and fast and the air itself. I stop at a bridge and turn around. I have to remember to pick up my coat.

Recently

Over the past couple of months I have taken on life changes. Three years ago I took a class through the Art Of Living Foundation that has since then made a big impact on how I live. Lately I have followed quite the vegan diet and have been really cognizant of what I eat. Recently, I have also been studying Shakahatchi with a teacher in Tokyo. My mind thinks a lot. Especially living in Naraha, a relatively small Japanese village. I have a lot of time to think. I like that, but then sometimes I don't. Sometimes I prefer to just hear the breeze.

While I was at my Shakahatchi lesson yesterday I learned another good thought to think about and I would like to explain that thought to you. My teacher explained to me that a good Shakahatchi player has the ability to observe another Shakahatchi player and determine whether they are an expert. A skilled musician has the power to do anything with his instrument, yet the control to play the smallest note. The explanation turned out to be a very good definition of power and I pondered further.

Lately as I read "Celebrating Silence" daily by Sri Sri I am reminded with his advice to live life in relative austerity. A poor man gets up everyday and looks at his piece of bread and maybe a piece of fruit and eats that as that is all that he can afford. Yet ironically, to be rich in life in both mind and maybe monetary wealth as well requires the realization that living with austerity, without luxury is the best way and the happiest way to live. The rich man has the ability and skill to have all the riches in the world, but has the power to "play the small note with skill". He has the power to realize that he benefits and is most happy in life eating the poor mans diet, a piece of bread and a piece of fruit. It is the realization that is the only difference! For me as well I have tried to put the knowledge into practice. I have noticed that my concentration level has improved significantly when I eat "salads only, green vegetables and juices" I am able to concentrate and hold my attention much longer. Listen to your body. Be a scientist! Sri Sri recently gave this advice to some students in India. It is is just one example of how power can be used. My mind doesn't think at times like this it just does!

As of Late

Hello All!

Today is Sunday and yesterday was Saturday. Yesterday I played music in a lovely park and then ate at a delicious restaurant where I had a Pumpkin Soup! Lately I've been taking lots of walks. Just the other evening I walked to my closest 711 store and back again in the rain. Walking I find is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, but also avoid the humid feel if you happen to be in a humid place. I find when I go on a run here in this village that I get itchy and feel uncomfortable after going for a run so I have switched to walking. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have been attending Kendo as well. It is a great way to sharpen my Japanese skills as well as learn ancient culture. It requires discipline though. What is important in Kendo is no so much mastering the techniques themselves, but more so learning the customs behind the techniques. It is really a dance within a dance. Lately I have been reading a lot of knowledge by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I feel everybody should know this knowledge. Right now he runs an organization called the Art Of Living. It is a institution that bases itself on changing the world through changing people first. Please take the course! I went into it 2 years ago apprehensive about the program and I feel now that it is making the world a better place. I have getting into practice as of late and encourage everybody to start. Even Dan Brown's new book "The Last Symbol" describes the knowledge that is in the world. Google became a successful company because it created value! It was a company who's founders had some information they knew could change the world. It has changed the world that we live in. Guru Dev says that we must have intention, but not desire! Desire is accompanied with feverishness while intention is not. Intention is putting a goal forward................ he says it way better please read his blog http://wisdomfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

Everybody be in the knowledge!

Just Breathe

You know I really don`t know where we come from. I don`t know where humans come from. What is true for all of us is that we get to be here! we get to live. We get to feel what it is to breathe! and to see and to smell! Maybe there was an auction before we lived and you needed a ``a golden`` ticket to be ``chosen`` to go to Earth and live. Everyone of us is lucky for that reason. Even the poorest person in the world and the most wealthy. We are all here living!

Japan as of late

After a somewhat lax period of time not writing I have decided that now is a good time to resume. I`m torn right now with the fact that it is quite expensive to travel in Japan. It is 60 dollars to travel from my town of Iwaki to Tokyo and that is just one way. However, I have figured out a solution to beat the system. I am torn with my motivation to do this sometimes. I am always looking for ways around obstacles. Should I just go along with the common? What I`ve found is that if you get on the train without paying for a ticket and ask to buy your ticket on the train then the train master will charge you only 20 dollars. I do this every time I go to Tokyo. When I do this though my mind comes up with all these different thoughts. What is the environmental impact of your train ride to Tokyo? Should you really be paying the full amount? As we enter the next years of our life it becoming increasingly important to travel to other nations. I do believe that the age we are upon will rely heavily on interdependence. As I speak with many people on the subject they all come to agree with me. One of the great conflicts with this however, is that if we do this we are flying airplanes more and planes are very dirty to the Earth. I really want to know how clean my travel is an my train to Tokyo. It is an electric powered train, but there is still a generator somewhere getting power some way. The way the Japanese culture works is by leading the individual by hints rather then answers. Japan is a very clean place, however as my sister has recently remarked there are no trash cans anywhere. I`ve tried it once. I`ve dropped my trash and just walked away refusing to carry my trash and no person around me said anything even looked at me. There was no cold shoulder or comment. After 2 minitues though I went back and picked the trash up led by my own pressure. It leads me to believe. What would happen if the U.S were going to take away their trash cans would that improve the situation? Culture leads these people and their practices.