Ichi-go ichi-e
September glimmers
September has been about ticking off not one, but two bucket list items. Those things that you want to do but never seem to make time for. Until now…
Travelling to and from Paris via the Eurostar for one day
Doesn’t it sound glamorous to say to your friends ‘I’m just popping over to Paris, I’ll be back in the evening’? Well it does so to me. My three friends from school and I boarded the 07:30 train to Paris from St Pancras International, and spent 9 hours exploring before returning home. I can imagine you thinking: is it really worth it for a day? And whilst we didn’t do all the sights, the exhilaration of only having a limited amount of time to take in the culture, architecture and food knowing you’ll be back in your own bed at night is amazing.
Cycling from London to Brighton
Now this one, I’d argue, is a lot more ‘wild’ and out of my comfort zone. Given that I’d only cycled to and from Richmond Park previously, and even that, only a handful of times, this 78km cycle felt a little out of my depth. But again, something that had been on my mind for a few years. Maybe I was in a bit of a ‘can do’ attitude. Let me tell you, it was TOUGH. Especially the hills, where I had to end up talking to myself to make it up. But you know what, it was so worth it when I rolled into Brighton seafront, with the sun shining and a reward of fish and chips, and a cold beer by the sea. Those endorphins were firing, and it was another #proud moment with Myrtle the stoma bag. Something I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do when I was in my darkest flare-ups.
During both of these new adventures, I could see and feel glimmers so much more than a day on the sofa (which I very much considered doing ahead of the cycle). Maybe it’s because of the Japanese philosophy, Ichi-go ichi-e. More on that below.
Welcome back to another roundup of my monthly glimmers. A newsletter dedicated to sharing snippets of what wellness, or living well, looks like with the autoimmune condition, Ulcerative Colitis, and glimmers I’ve found along my way. Glimmers that bring a little warmth and light in my life, with the hope that you can read and observe your own glimmers. Because I believe that by sharing these moments, we can make the world a little more joyful.
The secret to a long life
As I was packing up the books when selling the house, I came across the book Ikigai. It had always been something I wanted to read, and with feeling at a bit of a crossroads with my next steps, I thought now might be the time to read it. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles explores the Japanese concept of ikigai, which translates roughly as ‘the happiness of always being busy’ but could also be interpreted as the joy of living with purpose. It largely focusses on an island off mainland Japan called Okinawa, one of the Blue Zones and where some of the world’s longest-living people live. The Blue Zones fascinate me – they are regions identified by Dan Buettner where people live significantly longer, healthier lives. The five Blue Zones are:
· Okinawa, Japan
· Sardinia, Italy
· Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
· Ikaria, Greece
· Loma Linda, California, USA
The book examines how some of the world’s longest-living people spend their time across diet, community, movement, mindfulness, resilience, and as sense of purpose contributing to longevity and well-being. The authors also prompt the reader to think about their own ikigai across these four areas: What you love (passion), what the world needs (mission), what you can be paid for (vocation), and what you are good at (profession).
One of the stand out chapters for me is where Okinawan centenarians are asked about their life philosophy, their ikigai, and the secrets to longevity. The responses from a total of one hundred interviews was summarised into these five categories:
Don’t worry – “The secret to a long life is not to worry. And to keep your heart young - don’t let it grow old. Open your heart to people with a nice smile on your face.”
Cultivate good habits – “I wake up every day at the same time, early, and spend the morning in my vegetable garden. I go dancing with my friends once a week.”
Nurture your friendships every day – “Talking each day with the people you love, that’s the secret to a long life.”
Live an unhurried life – “My secret to a long life is always saying to myself, ‘Slow down,’ and ‘Relax.’ You live much longer if you’re not in a hurry.”
Be optimistic – “Laugh. Laughter is the most important thing. I laugh wherever I go.”
Maybe take a moment to reflect on how reading the above made you feel. Because for me, I felt a glimmer of lightness. Life can feel heavy sometimes and I can make things really bloody complicated for myself. We’re so busy rushing around, always feeling the need to achieve. But in fact the things that matter the most are those slow and meaningful interactions we have with people, with nature, and with ourselves every day.
Wabi-sabi and Ichi-go ichi-e
Another part of the book that deserves a mention are the two sayings or key Japanese philosophies that shape how Okinawans and many Japanese people approach life.
Wabi-sabi is the art of seeing beauty in imperfection and impermanence. It encourages embracing the natural cycle of growth and decay, accepting flaws and appreciating the simplicity of things — a chipped teacup, the passing of seasons, the wrinkles of age. It teaches acceptance, and appreciation of things as they are, rather than striving for flawlessness. It’s in my opinion, the perfect antidote to our societal need to be perfect. How beautiful is this?
Ichi-go ichi-e can be translated as “This moment exists only now and won’t come again.” It is heard most often in social gatherings as a reminder that each encounter is unique and will never be repeated, meaning we should enjoy the present moment and not lose ourselves in worries about the past and the future. It reminds us that each encounter and each moment is unique, fleeting, and unrepeatable. It reminds us also to practice gratitude for the here and now, encouraging us to find meaning and joy in everyday experiences - or what we know as glimmers.
The philosophies and ideas shared in a book about a group of human beings over 9,000 miles away from me in London really inspired me. As part of my mission to discover what living well looks like for me, it really is about slowing down and managing stress. And of course, I don’t live on a beautiful Japanese tropical island, but there are definitely a lot of principles I can look to bring in more every day.
Myrtle gets a makeover
Over the last month, I’ve been finding that the bottom of my stoma bag leaks ever so slightly. It means I’m always needing to wear another layer, usually shorts, underneath my outfit. The worst thing is when I forget, and then I just see a little brown liquid dot on my jeans or trousers. A wonderful little poo leak. And I laugh. Because if you don’t, you’ll cry. Would love to hear if any other ostomates out there have the same problem. And for those who aren’t ostomates and are reading this, welcome to a little slice of my reality.
I’m the sort of person who has worn the same stoma bag brand (Salts Confidence Be) for the last four years, and so I didn’t really consider the fact that I could change brands.
I started to research different stoma bags, and came across Convatec (if you don’t have a stoma, I appreciate this will mean nothing to you, but maybe you know someone where it will and can share this). I requested some samples through a form, expecting it to come in the post for me to try. A day later, I get a missed call and a voicemail asking for me to call them back. I called, and had a thirty minute conversation with the lovely lady who worked at the company. She was asking all about my ileostomy, the stoma products I used and how I felt with them. Now, I pride myself for just getting on with all things stoma, not making a fuss about it, because I don’t need to and the little bag has made my life so much richer since being diagnosed with UC. However, it felt SO good to talk about it and actually acknowledge it. I think it’s because all of my immediate friends and family don’t have an ileostomy, and so I forget that unless I actively talk about it, no one else will.
It got me thinking that I’d like to try out more bags, and so I may do a review. If you have an ileostomy or know someone who does and wants to forward this, watch this space.
Other things on my mind:
I’ve been listening to Emma Watson’s podcast with Jay Shetty and it’s really fascinating. I grew up with Harry Potter and definitely considered myself a know-it-all Hermione Granger when I was younger. Emma discusses how she now sees her sensitivity as a strength and a gift (totally resonate), as well as her experience on the red carpet.
I’m properly committing to the gym at the moment. And I love feeling stronger, even though the weight area puts me totally out of my comfort zone (anyone else?). I bought some vivobarefoot shoes for the gym and they are soooo comfy.
Now that my online yin classes with the Move & Inspire platform have finished, I’m really considering starting my own online classes. I’m working out whether fortnightly or monthly. If you have any thoughts, please let me know.
That’s all for now. This month, I’m going to leave you with a couple of Haikus from a Japanese poet and calligrapher called Mitusuo Aida. His work features in the book Ikigai and is influenced by Zen Buddhism, very much focussing on the here and now.
See you next month,
Ruby x
いま ここ
“Here, now”
幸せは いつも
自分の心が決める
“Happiness is always determined by your own heart”
And finally,
雨の日には 雨の中を
風の日には 風の中を
“On rainy days, be in the rain;
On windy days, be in the wind.”