Being Free

I was at the rooftop of my apartment building the other night. Wanted to look up the evening sky and listen to the urban sounds of New York. Wish I could share the sound and soft summer breeze with you all. Feels so magical to stay up there, you know? All the visual images and physical experiences are merging into one. Like you're creating a piece of art.  I love it when it happens...!

I've been thinking about " Being Free ". This photo shows you the state of " Being Free ".

Yup, I cut the straps off from these sandals because they hurt my feet a lot. Without the straps, I feel much comfortable!! See? My feet are no longer tethered, no more blisters! Yes! ...and I notice the fact that I'm living in the condition I'm no longer tethered as well. Being unemployed and I'm free. Only a myriad of possibilities stand out. What a great feeling that is! 

I was once a waitress dreaming about becoming a flower designer in NYC. My passion led me to what I wanted to be : A flower designer.  I kept walking on the path for a long time. The straps clung to my old path has been cut off and they let me go. I'm on my way to find other possibilities in my career path. I believe the reality is the creation of our thoughts. Here we go...I've started conveying my dream into a reality once again. and you know what? It's been great. Seriously, everything is starting to work out well. I'll keep you posted on my story ;) 

Meanwhile, I'd share these images of my " Being Free And Happy " moments with you all. 

Found an ice cream truck in soho. They are so so soooooo good! 

and I got a scoop of yummy (handpicked)strawberry ice cream! ahhh.... nom nom..and nom... :9

Of course, I found a perfect place looking at red rambling roses while I was eating the ice cream.

See that? How gorgeous they are? Peeking through the iron gate, I got kisses from the peach roses. 

At my feet, there were twinkle twinkle little yellow stars greeting " Hello! ". 

The little white flowers are like clouds in the sky. Gentle and fragile. 

I love strolling around the city when the weather is good. Finding these precious little happiness are extremely fun! 

Lastly, this is just an additional part of this blog, not related to the title at all..., but I happened to open this book " A CLOUD " a while ago, so let me introduce this artist,  a Japanese graphic designer, Katsumi Komagata. He's an award-winning graphic designer who are inspired by the development of his daughter, and he began creating sets of visual story books and playful cards games in 1990. I love his book called " A CLOUD ". In the book, he explains how our daily life keeps changing and ends eternally...then a new life, a new day to follow. He gives a metaphor by using the life of clouds : Clouds meet their changes in the shapes and dissolve and reborn again every day, every hours, every minutes, and every seconds. He uses different textures of papers so that it gives you a great physical sense of feeling or touching on the different clouds every time you turn the pages. Life never stop changing, we can only cherish the past but holding it. I love his words at the end of this book : The clouds seem close but are very far. They keep on forming and changing all the time. Clouds contain water which is heavier than air by almost 800 times. Million of tons. Great energy is in each cloud. Gradually, they become rain falling onto the ground. We are always under the sky. In my childhood I wondered why the clouds moved. Sometimes they would make me wish something and think of someone, sometimes I would predict the weather with them. There are cloudy days. Sometimes I forget to look at the sky because I am too busy. So there are clouds inside the book. As we turn the pages, memories come back with the view of clouds that we have seen before. 

Hope you are feeling happy and free as well. Wherever you are...I send you love. 

" The clouds form and die eternally. There is only clouds for today.
There will be clouds again for tomorrow."

Much love & gratitude to you all, 

Hana 

Slow Down....

" Slow down, you move too fast, got to make the morning last..."

Simon & Garfunkel

I definitely agree with what Simon & Garfunkel sing in the song.  Our urban life style usually forces us to keep going. We are not having enough time to survey what our life's purposes are. Take a moment in the morning, or afternoon or before you go to bed. Just look around and find the serene joy coming to you. Ask yourself what's your priority in life? Hope you find the answer. BTW, I felt the flower smiling joy while I was looking at these guys in a park. Check them out. 

Green leaves are swaying in the spring breeze....

Then, trees are dressing up with a ray of sunshine....

Little white flowers try to embrace you in their arms....

and these little blue flower says, " Don't forget about me! "....

I know this must be my privilege to have this happy moment in the park, yes? I am a Flower Joyologist, I understand their (=flowers & trees ) words ;)  It's already weekend, everyone. How are you spending your free time? Movie? Hiking? Bike tour? Whatever it is, enjoy the moment you live in. Enjoy every moment you breathe. Here's my favorite quote : Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. -Albert Einstein

Love to you all,

Hana 

Simple Life

"Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. -John Lennon "

I just happend to be there in Central Park and found this quote of John Lennon yesterday afternoon. It was an extremely fantastic weather, breezy and sunshine. All the trees and birds were celebrating LIFE! Under a warm ray of sunshine, I met an Italian guy who is an educator/life coach. We had a nice chat for a while. He may be another messenger from the universe? 

It's been a week since I was laid off. So far, so good. A new idea comes and goes...An image of myself in the future gets clearer than before. At first, I felt kinda awkward spending lots of time at home. I didn't know how to adjust myself into it. I now have enough time to read a book, take a walk in a park during the day ( aside from searching a job... ), breathe into a fresh air ( at least in a park? ), and seeing other people's life along the way is so powerful and inspiring. These simple things were missing while I had a full-time work at a flower shop. Being laid off is a painful matter, but I feel joy at this moment...The joy comes from a freedom. I've never got out of an ordinary life style : Work 9am-5pm, 5 days a week. This is my first time not having a job, but I tell ya...I'm having a great time of my life! Sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet. Life's got all different flavors. So alive. 

My cousin just sent me an email from Japan. She's recently moved in to a remote area in Kyoto, quitting her job, trying to adjust herself to a new life. It's an extremely small community that dosen't have much of an urban life style : No big super markets, no hot bars or restaurants to hang out, no cooking school she can offer her incredible talent. She used to be a cooking/baking instructor at a cooking school. Her passion was to bake all the different breads and to teach and share the fun with other people. Well, everything comes from a heart would be precious, isn't it? On the contrary to the inconvenience in her new daily life, she started to find a joy. She explains : I may have withdrawn myself a few steps behind from where I was before, but I've started to see everything in a beautiful picture. I had an enormous pressure to catch up with my assignments, work, and house keepings, but now... I have a time to enjoy outdoor life in the nature, buying seasonal vegetables and fruits from a local green market. I find a happiness in a very simple life. Breathe, eat and sleep. I'll start baking when we finish our kitchen renovation, so it'll be awesome! 

I found her story and my new life have something in common. We both found a joy in a state of being free. We are both free from our old comfort zones. Creating a new circumstance to live. Spring has sprung, summer is on the way. Our journey takes us to another surprise, another struggles, another happiness. Life is all good afterwards... :) 

What about yours? So far, so good, I believe...! I send you this pretty smiles of lily of the valley. They signify the return of happiness in the " language of flowers ". So, catch it!

Much love and kisses to you all, 

Hana

Transformation In Progress

Time flies...17 days of my Japanesy life passed so fast, and can't really believe it's been almost a week since my arrival in the US. Yes, I'm back in where I belong to. Well, New York is still my base camp at least for now. I may change my mind in the future, who knows? I trust in the ever-changing climate of the heart ( I borrowed the expression from Jason Mraz. Thank you. ) 

My trip to Japan turned out to be fantastic. My dad's surgery went well and he's recuperating faster than we expected! High 5 for his fighting spirit :) As the spring season kicks off with tons of cherry blossoms, signs of new life, hope, and happiness shows up everywhere we look around. Good to feel the vibes from the nature. 

oh, I show you some pics of those cherry trees in Kyoto before anything else. 

There were so many places you could go and see these beautiful trees throughout the city. Just amazing! Go and see those beauty next spring time if you can. 

Anyways...my spring dream life in Japan is over, I now face to a reality in NY. Ouch! Honestly, I would've stayed longer in Kyoto because I could stay away from this uncomfortable change in my life. Uncomfortable? Yes, stepping out from a comfort zone is very hard. I get lots of pressure and fear by putting myself in the unemployment condition. I can easily get lost in time and end up doing nothing. Here we go, my mind is trying to escape from the NOW. Boy, I thought I'm willing to take this change though? Fear makes me think of avoiding the hardship. 

You'll have to excuse my negativity. I'm a human, I have fears and dark side. Yesterday was one of those depressing day ever. Maybe a gray colored sky and rain added a grim impression to my feeling. Aren't we all have those day, are we? I wanted to lift my heavy heart, so I decided to give myself a gratitude every time I accomplished one thing. Here's the things I did yesterday : I sent out thank you notes to my relatives who visited and shared love with us while my dad was in a hospital. I called my mom & dad to check everything is ok, I read the instruction of filing unemployment...Most importantly, I splurged on sleeping! Need to get over with a jet lag as soon as possible... otherwise I won't be able to use my brain fully!! My language button also needs to switch into English not Japanese ;p Suffice to say, I felt better by the end of the day after acknowledging some improvements in my present situation. 

I found this quote on Superforest today : “Happiness comes from accepting the present situation, whether it is something you wish to savor as long as possible or change as quickly as you can.  Neither is possible without acceptance as the starting point, because without acceptance you are living on the periphery of your life.  There at the edges, you can’t fully enjoy the good stuff or do anything about the rest.” –Victoria Moran  Thank you Superforester Aaron, you made my day!

Time to make more progress...I'll see you all later ;)

Love to you all wherever you are, 

Hana

Start Fresh

Wow, it's April already...! I've been waiting to see all the beautiful spring trees so badly. How are you everyone? Being perky and happy as the weather gets mild and warm? Isn't it so nice to see spring transformation in everywhere? Had enough of rain so far...I see the rays of sunshine coming through my window blinds right now. Feeling alive, feeling happy. 

I strolled around my favorite place, Central Park, on Thursday and today. Everyone seemed so happy to welcome the spring weather. Reading, chatting, sleeping and jogging.... People are soaking up the sun with joy. Great time. Oh, due to a holy week, I would say this to you all...Happy Passover and Happy Easter :)  The Easter bunny is munching Matzo? 

These are the pics of cherry blossoms in the park.

Hope to see them in Japan, too. I'm leaving tomorrow to Kyoto... I'll be there for my dad ;) 

BTW, This April is a special month to me. Dad's surgery, being unemployed, starting a new life and seeing some changes in other people's life. It's so interesting when everything is coming together for a fresh start.  I'd be honest. I'm scared about putting my feet into the unknown, I mean getting out of a comfort zone. I even had a mini-breakdown a while ago...and I'm sure I'll face to some obstacles along the way in the future. As far as I'm concerned, this would be a remarkable new chapter in my life. Looking back my past 15 years, I stayed and worked at the same flower shop. Whoa...15 years...! Time flies, really. Love to my work made this happen, you know? Brava! Time to move on now.

As I was watching the cherry blossoms in the park today, I recalled some conversations with my friends I had a while ago. Those were very inspiring stories. Each story came from a different person, but the main ingredients are the same : Courage, Hope, Positivity. Those people in the stories dip their toes into the unknown and experienced a metamorphosis, a fresh start. What a perfect timing to hear about these stories! I believe something big and magical is pushing my back to follow my interests.  A small step or giant Godzilla step, I'll walk on a new map of my life.

Ok, time is up. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend :)

Love, Bunny, and Cherry Blossoms,

Hana

Anger Management Inc.

Have you ever lost your temper completely ? and feeling awful afterwards? I guess everyone has been there, done that before...right? I'm not a screamer, but yes, I throw things when I get irritated... Nobody sees it anyways? ah, right. I admit. I do this when no one is watching me. ha ha. I just wonder...why throwing things gives a chance to overcome the anger? hmm...am I dumping the feeling far away??? Interesting.

About a week ago, my employer/friend totally went bonkers. It was like a temporary insanity or some sort. Must be so hard to see things clearly when people lose their temper and drive everyone crazy. And the core of a matter is usually nothing serious. They get snap...because they are under a lot of stress or pressure throughout their daily life. You name it, trouble over a relationship, traffic jams, an event with a wrong time and a wrong place... Like it or not, we are deeply affected by those bumps in life.

How do you control your anger without disturbing others?  I find a good one! I try to shift my anger into peace whenever I push a fury button. How? Yoga. Stand in Tadasana, then move to Uttanasana, of course breathe accordingly.  I repeat this until the quiet state of mind starts to appear.  Luckily, I have a place to be alone at work, so it's perfect!  Learning to remain rational would be the best solution for " Anger Management ". I was content with what I did while he was bursting out his anger for nothing. He apologized later though.

I also notice how easy to hurt someone by words. You know, people want to defend themselves and blame someone for their unhappy condition. Throwing nasty words to others means...you create a gap between them. That doesn't help for improving the condition at all. Only by using considerate words to approach people would be a way to amend the problem.

oh, and how you can get rid of your stress? Well, you gotta figure it out by yourself. There are many ways to live without stress.  I practice yoga, accept changes in life, stay fresh each day, and know that each events are there to provide us for a new opening : An opportunity for a new possibility. Think about it, things are happening for good and bad. And we learn to be patient when everything is gone bad. Ok? Nothing is life-threatening. Where there's a will, there's a way.

If you need a guidance to live happily, go and read Joyologist Tricia Hoffman's blog, " I Am Being ".  She's good.

Let's maintaining a balance in life both good and not so good. BTW, the picture of a dancing ballerina above is a pun for this. ha ha. Hope your " Anger Management " is working properly.

That's about it. Enjoy your day wherever you are :)

Love, Peace, and Namaste...

Hana

After The Rain

It's been raining whole weekend since...Friday night. Saturday was one of those heavy duty stormy day, being drenched and miserable. Good to listen to this song, " Raindrop Keeps Falling On My Head ".

Despite the weather condition, I attended a yoga practice as usual. I needed it so badly since my yogi Steph was finally back from her trip! Yay!

Is this a trick of calming sound of raindrops? I was about to write something a while ago...then forgot.  I should've taken a scribble about it! oh, well...hopefully I'll be able to retrieve my memory sooner or later. Meanwhile, I wanna show you this amazing " onion " ( no, it's not a coconut ).  Isn't it nice?  What you are seeing here is a " life " !! A new life is just about starting its journey... or, it may be a new shoot of possibility? 

As I've said on my previous blog, spring is a time for rebirth. All the plants will soon sprout and animals and humans are going to be bouncy again. No longer lay dormant, a new life, a new energy are bursting out from each individual life form. This onion is no exception. How amazing to see the transformation!

Looking at the onion besides my bedroom window, a thought popped up in my mind : The onion's transformation is a form of a progress in its life. The progress is invisible when it begins inside of its body. And the same goes to our life, too. Although it seems there's nothing much different between today and yesterday or a week ago and a month ago, we're making a progress everyday. The progress toward our own goals, dreams, ideal worlds... We'll get to see a result of our progress sooner or later. So, keep up your good work, everyone! Can't wait to see a new shoot on your head!

Lastly...let me introduce my dad's recent progress. At age of 76, he's going on a open-heart surgery in April. He rejected it first because of a fear of possibility ending his life shorter...but then, he changed his mind. Wanting to see an ultimate good result on his health condition. He wants to dare not to be defeated by his heart problem. He wants to live more. What a beautiful word " Live", " Being alive "...! So nice to hear the news. I am totally proud of him. His surgery is risky, but I believe he'll make it. Since his surgery is scheduled around Easter, I call April 7th as my dad's resurrection day. It's a good omen, yes?   I'll keep you posted about his journey. Wish him luck, please? Thank you in advance ;)

Here's my pic with my dad and mom. 

I love you, dad. I always do. 

Hope you guys are having an awesome day!

Love & Peas...

Hana