ikigai
Grown-ups are well aware of the fact that breathing is not the same as living. We all breathe but how often do we live? There is nothing much to do these days so killing time is a skill one must master. To do the same, I thought I’d pay my neighbors a visit. It’s a family of four but I had some interactions with the woman of the house, Savita.
She is 38 and really hardworking. I always see her doing chores and teaching her kids. The reason I like her is that she always has a bright smile on, no matter what she is doing. It was early evening and she was sitting in front of a heap of embroidered cloth pieces and threads. Just glaring at the heap. I had to knock at the open door thrice for her to notice me. We exchanged greetings and had a small chat. Then I noticed those pieces, they were beautiful! Out of curiosity, I asked her if she liked buying embroidery patches, she laughed and said that she hadn’t bought them, but designed them herself when she was young like 19 or 20. Well, that’s my age, I thought to myself, and I can’t get a thread into a needle without fussing tens of times!
She was brilliant to be able to make such wonderful pieces! As she proudly started to show me her work, I discovered that every piece had a story attached to it and whenever she picked it up, her eyes would sparkle and run through it in the most reminiscent manner. Almost like going back in time, reliving memories. There was a beautifully detailed peacock embroidered on white linen that I liked the most. She told me it was made 3 or 4 years after her marriage and she hadn’t made any more pieces since then. When I asked her why, she simply smiled and replied, “I have a lot of work to do, don’t get much time for all this. I just found these out of nowhere while arranging the almirah”.
As I left her house, I could see her holding that last piece and running her fingers through every line of thread, staring blankly towards the heap of colors on white linen. She must have really loved to do that, I thought. And I could clearly see that she missed it.
“Ikigai”, is a Japanese word that means “reason to live”. I read in a book titled the same, that having a purpose to one’s life is one of the many contributing factors to longevity and happiness in Japanese culture. By having a purpose, I mean having a reason to wake up every morning, for yourself. Something that adds meaning and excitement to your daily life, that makes take a break from breathing, and lets you live. There could be one, there could be many! Think about something that excites you or makes you happy, something you are passionate about, and start devoting an hour or half for the same. That’s your “ikigai”! and it’s a journey, a process, you can’t expect to suddenly find a reason magically. One must keep trying, keep learning even if the start is at 38. Have your little me-time and analyze yourself, try to find your purpose. I didn’t find mine yet, and I’m not giving up any soon. I wish you luck finding yours!
