Consider these words by Amanda Saint, who publishes The Mindful Writer:
My first discovery of the concept of ikigai was watching a documentary about longevity. A large number of the residents of Okinawa, Japan, live to over one hundred and remain sprightly, healthy and free of dementia. In this documentary, many of the people the presenter interviewed highlighted the vital role that ikigai plays in their long lives. So what is ikigai? . . .
. . . ‘iki’ means life, and ‘gai’ means value. So we can take [ikigai] to mean that it is the things that give our live value. And this encompasses the large and small things.
[Yukari Mitsuhashi, author of Ikigai: Giving Every Day Meaning and Joy, says,] “A person’s ikigai might be their family, work or hobby, a photography trip they have planned for the weekend, or even something as simple as a cup of morning coffee enjoyed with their spouse, or a taking their dog out for a walk . . . [In the West,] your ikigai needs to be something you can be paid for. But for Japanese people, ikigai is a much broader concept, and one that is rooted in our everyday lives. Ikigai might be our work, yes, but it can also be our hobby, our loved ones, or simply enjoying the company of friends.”
The book encourages us to look for our ikigai in the day-to-day moments we experience at work, at home, out and about in the world, and as part of our goals for life . . .
What are some of your ikagai?
(My thanks to Amanda Saint and Yukari Mitsuhashi.)
The Gentle Nudge
Join other Rafters this week for . . .
THURSDAY: Poetry Pick-Me-Up (Zoom, 12:00-1:00PM Central, at this link)
Today, and many days, it's sitting on my porch with a cup of good coffee, listening to birdsong, neighborhood noises and the sound of my thoughts settling (and reading the Daily Boost! 1🙂)
The morning symphony I listen to at the start of each day.