Living in the Present: An Adventure without Procrastination

Do you see a traffic jam up ahead? A traffic jam of things you want to do? All you can see is the car ahead of you until you stop procrastinating and dance on that car roof! From there you can see for miles into your future.

I bought new trail running shoes for low-mountain hiking. Just as I was thinking of testing them out on Mount Takao, a break in the rainy season came along. It was only a five-hour adventure, so I decided to head to Mount Takao without worrying about scheduling. While there are cable cars and paved roads that can take you to the top of Mount Takao, I wanted to go mountain climbing, so I chose trail number 6. As I began my climb, the weather gradually cleared up, and I was moved by the beauty of the verdant trail, bathed in negative ions, listening to the sound of birds and the stream running alongside the trail. Even though I was in Tokyo, I was grateful to have a mountain that could be easily visited whenever the mood struck.

As I descended the mountain and sipped a freshly dripped iced coffee at a café, I received a newsletter from my Transcendental Meditation. It seemed that the following day, the summer solstice, was International Yoga Day, and there was a yoga event at Tsukiji Honganji starting at 7 in the morning. If it’s at Tsukiji Honganji, I could get there in just 20 minutes by bicycle! It was possible to apply up until the last minute, so I immediately signed up. I was looking forward to the next morning.

A clear blue sky spread out the following day, perfect for outdoor yoga. Apparently, it was the first clear day on the summer solstice in 12 years. The morning route along the bay area was fantastic. At Tsukiji Honganji, an incredible 700 people with yoga mats gathered! I found out when I arrived there that the event was sponsored by the Indian government. When I took a photo with the Indian-style Tsukiji Honganji in the background, it looked as if I was doing yoga in India.

During the final Shavasana, the direct sunlight was shining on us, like being in a hot stone bath. The rainy season breezes that blew from time to time were as pleasant as an air conditioner. However, the energy of the summer solstice is said to be the strongest of the year! After it ended, I enjoyed a free curry-flavored wrap. I was grateful to the universe for the wonderful invitation to do outdoor yoga in a sacred place on the summer solstice. It was as if a beautiful future had been prepared for me.

I had a 20-minute live session in my community. The topic the client prepared to discuss was over in three minutes, so I asked, “Is there anything else?” I asked, and she couldn’t seem to think of anything in particular. So I said, “As with your ideas, it seems that you are satisfied with just one option. Why don’t you consider more than that?” I gave her factual feedback. It was rather negative feedback, but I felt that this was the key to opening up the future.

Client: I wonder why?
Me: For instance, is there anything you would like to try doing next?
Client: I’d like to take a stroll around Yanaka and Nezu areas. And I’ve been thinking about visiting an art museum in Aomori.
Me: Since when have you been thinking about doing these things?
Client: For about five years.”
Me: Five years? If you keep putting off what you want to do, you won’t have the space to think about what you want to do next.

After that, it seemed that she realized something and noticed a preconception that she ‘shouldn’t enjoy herself’. I wonder when such a misconception was formed. Now is the youngest we will ever be, so it would be a waste not to enjoy ourselves because time is finite.

This fall, my mother invited me to travel abroad. Traveling abroad now is urgent and important for my 77-year-old mother. My mother said, “As I get older, long plane rides will become more difficult, and I want to spend the money on myself.” I am glad she realized this, because my mother, who was busy taking care of those around her, often put herself on the back burner.

As we begin to prioritize the things we want to do, we think about managing the things we have to do more efficiently. In the space of time that is thus available, we receive an invitation from the universe. Beyond that, new discoveries and a future that we never expected await us. After the summer solstice, we will get out of the Earth’s traffic jam and Go Infinity and beyond into a new and unknown world. We look forward to the second half of this year!