It’s been a while since I came back from Japan and hiking the Kumano Kodo, but I’ve lost my writing mojo being anxious about the election. And since, I have been feeling a lot of deep and big emotions. After taking the time to “feel my feelings,” I know I need to hold on to optimism and hope. You may be asking what exactly is the difference between optimism and hope? Here’s how I define the two for practical usage. To me, optimism is a generalized mindset having more positive than negative expectations of what the future holds. Both negative and positive predictions are just suppositions, or guesses, about the future. Positivity feels better, leading to a better emotional state. Anticipating good outcomes is more uplifting than anticipating bad ones. On the other hand, hope is a motivating force for me. Hope is a verb that entails a call to action. Hope dictates that I have personal agency in the goals I set for myself, and the strategies I use to achieve those goals.
The reality is we all go through dark times in life. But a storm doesn’t last forever. We must remember that rainbows follow a storm, and the sun will set and rise again. In the darkness, we can choose to be the sun that gives others warmth and light. Rather than dwelling on the things we can't change, we need to shift focus to the things within our control. As we reach adulthood, we have acquired the skillset and techniques to manage difficult emotions. So, when you are in a negative headspace, redirect and shift your energy. Engaging in positive activities makes it hard to stay negative for too long. Pick your positivity potion – listening to music, taking a walk, meditation, or anything you know from experience will help you feel better and reignite a positive can-do attitude.
I believe in living fully, not putting life on hold until things get better, but rather focusing on making things better, every day. My go-to strategy for bouncing back from setbacks is to plan new adventures and reflect on past ones. This helps me regroup, recharge, redirect, refocus, and re-engage. The goal is to get unstuck by taking action, even if only a small step, to move forward. And thus, I have started planning my next hiking trip - Via Francigena in Italy (the Camino to Rome.) In doing so, the writing floodgates have opened allowing me to capture the Japan trip in words.
I had the pleasure and privilege to go back to Japan, and for the first time in the fall. The main focus of the trip was to hike the Kumano Kodo. It is an ancient pilgrimage in the southern mountains of the Kii Peninsula, located south of Osaka. While Cherry Blossom is pretty amazing, I found fall in Japan just as beautiful. Autumn foliage ("koyo") is mesmerizing, painting the landscape with vibrant red, orange, and yellow colors. It is in nature where I can best cultivate a meditative mindset and generate my best thinking. I am happy to share some key reflections.
Adapting is not quitting. It’s optimizing the experience.
This trip was the first time I didn’t complete a trek as planned. The Kumano Kodo is a pilgrimage trail through Japanese forests and hundreds of small shrines. There are 3 Grand Shrines along the route - Hongu, Hatayama and Nachi. The plan was to hike the route in 4 days, ending at the Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine. A forecast for heavy rain on the 4th, and final day, called for a change of plans. Having hiked the Le Puy Camino in France back in May, I wasn’t up to another adventurous day of feet slushing through rivers of water running along the trail. Similar to the Camino, the Kumano has a lot of roots, and logs set up like boulders, or stairs, which are difficult in fair weather, but especially treacherous and slippery in the rain. It's easy to get down about a sudden change in plans. Often, we associate DNF (didn’t finish) with failure. However, change means new possibilities. This change opened up the possibility to spend a fun day in a new city, Nagoya. When being used to a packed schedule, there’s nothing more thrilling than having more time. Also skipping the Nakasendo Samurai Trail, allowed more time to explore Tokyo’s fantastic autumn attractions and events. Don’t be afraid to make room for new possibilities and experiences. They will become tomorrow’s memories.
Shared spaces are a shared responsibility.
One of the first things you notice when visiting Japan is how clean everywhere is. Even the public toilets are spotlessly clean, which cannot be said for public toilets in most other countries. A fun thing to do is a tour of Tokyo’s public toilets from the movie Perfect Days. The story follows Hirayama, a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, who lives a simple life in daily tranquility taking great pride in his work. While the toilets are cleaned daily, each person using them takes care to maintain the cleanliness. Together, people make great effort to keep the public spaces clean and tidy and act with consideration for everyone using these shared spaces. Cleaning is seen as a shared duty, not just the job of janitors or designated individuals. Public transportation, parks, and even tourist hotspots, like Shibuya Crossing, somehow stay clean. In Shinto, cleanliness is godliness. There is an ingrained cultural expectation of leaving a space as good (or better) than you found it. Japanese children clean their own classrooms. They sweep, mop, and tidy up everything from a very early age. This continues into adulthood and the workplaces with the 5S practice: Seiri (sorting), Seiton (organizing), Seiso (cleaning), Seiketsu (sanitizing), and Shitsuke (sustaining.) It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep shared spaces spotless. It is common to see people picking up litter and trash that has been discarded on the streets and public areas, putting community over self. Homelessness and social issues in the United States are contributing factors to the dirty streets in our cities. There is a trash problem in national parks and open spaces. Restrooms in many shared spaces have less than ideal hygiene standards. While our government is failing us in solving these issues, we are not exempt from taking personal responsibility. Just because something is not our fault, doesn’t mean it is not our responsibility to do our part. A few years ago, I reached a scenic viewpoint on a hike where there was trash everywhere - under the bench, on top of the bench, all over. As I was standing there along with other fellow-hikers, an older hiker started picking up the trash and throwing it in a collecting bag she carried with her. Without saying a word, one by one, we all started picking up the trash. The viewpoint was clean in 5 minutes. If we want to see positive change in the world, we must take personal responsibility.
Growth requires struggle.
Life wasn’t meant to be simple and comfortable. It’s meant to be lived. Fully. To dare and to conquer. The obstacles we face fuel our growth. We're taught from a young age to fight our fears. But in the outdoors, we must respect them, face them, and then overcome them. The greater the challenge we face and overcome, the greater the personal growth will be. On the first day on the Kumano, at the trailhead, I felt a moment of sheer panic seeing the climb up the mountain. It felt too much too soon. Slowly, one foot in front of the other, I found my flow. Step by step by step, up, up, and up, I became one with my breath, my backpack, the mountain, and the trail. Taking on the steep ascents and tortuous descents, I got to experience a magical journey through an ancient forest, deep in the mountains. The trail, majestic and serene, allowed me to find inner peace and rest for the soul. The sense of serenity I found in the mountains stayed with me even when coming back to the hustle and bustle of city life. The challenge is to live every day with that peace and tranquility so easily found in nature. The key is mindfully maintaining good self-care hygiene. It is an individual quest to explore what peace of mind looks like and develop the habits to keep it even amidst chaos when surrounded by stressful situations.
May you find peace and tranquility wherever you are, and may the sun shine on you with love, warmth, beauty and joy. And when the sun is temporarily hiding from you, be sure to create your own sunshine.
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