unproductive time

I woke up this morning a little before eight and, as has become my morning ritual, looked out of the window. What I saw astounded me. There were several inches of snow on the ground already and it was coming down fast. I got dressed and walked around the neighborhood a little bit. The school children were all adorable, walking with their parents to school, and playing with each other in the snow. I longed to play in the snow too, but I couldn’t walk but so far without getting lost, so I headed home to make plans for the day and eat some breakfast. After a banana, I walked out into the hall, where I ran into Matt inviting us all for a hike. Thinking that I could handle it, I accepted. Little did I know, hiking up a mountain in the snow is quite a feat. However, it was certainly worth it. Japan is beautiful, but when it snows, Japan is ridiculously beautiful. We would shake the bamboo a little and watch the stalks soar back up to their original position, once the weight of the snow was removed. We walked up some stairs to a shrine, which was covered with snow almost as if he had a hat and coat. Although it was beautiful, we had a long way to go and a Community Meeting at 1:00 PM. The hike up the mountain seemed like it took forever, but there were beautiful views all along the way. I had bundled up, but I was almost too warm. Luckily, after several stops to admire the view, we reached the top and got to travel downwards. We headed to Ryoanji, which is the temple that contains the famous white gravel rock garden. It was beautiful there, and in the surrounding grounds. I sat for a while in silence, which was very helpful for my outlook on the way things were going here in Japan. Everything seemed so clear when I left Ryoanji. I am not sure I can explain how wonderful it was there, but if you’re interested, you should check out my photo album. The rest of my day consisted of the beginning of school and basic sitting around and doing nothing. I felt very unproductive tonight, but I guess relaxing was a good way to spend the last night before the beginning of the semester. I’m off to dinner.

Music equivalent of the day: hiking up a mountain
Major purchase: Ticket to Ryoanji
Food: Hot almond drink…like hot chocolate, but better
Meditation/ inspiration/ thought of the day: Snowflakes: when they fall into an area where there is other snow, they stick, yet become unidentifiable. When they fall into an area where there is no other snow, they often melt and cease to exist. The easiest way for a snowflake to be individual without disappearing is to remain constantly in motion in the sky, never resting at any one place as it allows the wind to take it on a journey.

I am one with the world.
I will find beauty in the world.
I will find the beauty of the world within myself.

Top priority: school starts tomorrow