Recently I read about the Japanese concept of "ikigai," something defined by those in the West as "a reason for being." It's what gets you out of bed in the morning, excited to start the new day. Your true purpose.
As you might expect stumbling upon this concept got me thinking. I've been a bit off my game over the past month or so. My sister passed away after which I had another health scare, which fortunately turned out to be just that. Once we got to the bottom of that I went off overseas for a much needed break.
And while now back at home I'm not feeling particularly grounded just yet. Not fully back in the saddle. I haven't been able to work outside. It's been way too damp, chilly and wet. And I'm someone who needs to be outside, to reconnect with the earth and myself.
It seems that looking after and growing things at Struan Farm is my reason for being, at least that's what I think right now. My boys: John and Clifford, the veggies, the fruits, the flowers, the trees. The bees, the butterflies and the birds. The "Gang of Five," pet lambs Jam, Jelly, Camilla, Fergie and Bambi, and a few pet ewes, Rosie, Ruby, Pip, Cookie. Maybe even Pepper, whom I caught looking in the bedroom window this week having a flashback to her days as a pet lamb at the back gate. Not that she'd look me in the eye, would she? New lambs yet to arrive on the scene. I'll also add in the Piopio Community Fruit & Veg Stand. I get surprisingly emotional telling people about the stand, expressing the joy I get from sharing surplus fruit and veg for free with our community and encouraging others to do so too.
Ikigai is meant to be about process and immersion, doing something as well as you can that matters to give life meaning and value. And on that note, I'd better get back to work!
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