Stop And Smell The Roses
From my seat in my local library the sunshine dances through the leaves outside the window, creating patterns that shift and shimmer on the glass. In Japanese, this dancing light has a name. Komorebi is a poetic term that refers to “the scattered sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.” The word describes a specific moment or experience and has no English equivalent.
The idea of Komorebi, to me, is a reminder to appreciate the beauty of simple moments and find joy in them. In a world that wires our brains to seek fast and big accomplishments, our values have aligned with the system we exist in. We measure our selves through checklists, numbers, and assigned positions. We value finding the next big thing to be happy over, and we’re repeatedly told that these things are:
top grades
assigned positions
career advancements
recognition from peers
etc… etc…etc….
Because of this, we are taught to undervalue the smaller moments of joy. Like the sun passing through the leaves.
Chasing big goals and dreams is good, but I’ve found to base your happiness on a sole objective is a mistake. Letting your overall satisfaction depend on a single purpose is putting all your eggs in one basket. Small instances of joy snowball and build up. Find and savour these small joys.
For me, these joys come in many different forms. Here are a few examples.
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I take notice of komorebi, even if it’s for a short moment; I let my attention leave my everyday tasks to watch how the gentle sway of leaves that cause the sunlight to glitter.
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I take my time making and drinking coffee (if you don’t like coffee, some other drink, maybe). I don’t rush the process. I savour the smell of the coffee, that ugly sound the machine makes as it hums, and the flavour as I take small sips.
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When I bathe, I notice how the warm water feels against my skin and the sooooothing sensation. I take the time to appreciate the calming atmosphere of the bathroom. The echoy surroundings. The splashing sound of water.
When I force myself to pay attention to these moments that I enjoy daily, I find that time slows. These moments I would otherwise not remember are more deeply ingrained in my memory, and I find greater happiness in the present moment.
When I first graduated high school, my view on happiness was that I had to earn it. At that time, my happiness was primarily based on my academic performance, successes in my endeavours, and how highly esteemed in my interpersonal relationships I was. I felt happy when I worked fast and got results. The issue with this mindset is I found that rest felt bad, and as a side effect would often work too much to avoid this guilt. I would constantly feel the need to achieve more and never truly be satisfied with what I had accomplished. Any positive emotion would fade fast, leading me back to the “grind set”, hungry for more. This mindset led to burnout and a constant feeling of dissatisfaction. I genuinely hated myself.
It was only until I made this change in how I understood happiness, I finally broke free from that constant self hatred. Happiness is not a destination or a reward that can be achieved. Instead, I find happiness in small pieces, tucked away between quiet moments fluttering between the leaves.