Komorebi

Words. As a linguist, language fascinates me. So when I found a post about untranslatable words from different languages, I was intrigued of course. The word in this blog title is a Japanese word meaning "sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees." It triggers many thoughts, and obviously I remembered the foreground in my blog template had that exact image. It also stirs up the idea that the true Light finds it's way to pierce the dark haze of the forest. I've been in dense forest a few times in my life... in the countryside in Ireland, hiking in both eastern and western Washington, etc... where very little direct sunlight pierced through. If you can feel the dimness during daytime, imagine the impenetrable darkness of night in such a forest (night time shenanigans and screaming come to mind with my friends in Ireland!). It can be scary. Forests can almost be a very easy place to get oneself lost. I have never ventured too far from the beaten trail on my many adventures so I cannot remember a time when I ever got truly lost. However, I can only imagine the anxious feelings that would ensue would a person find themselves both lost and in darkness. In comes light... soft trickles of beams through the prickly pine needles or the waving aspen leaves as the wind makes them sing and dance. Up to now, this post feels to me as a poetic ramble. But many things about this concept of "komorebi" strike a chord with me. I feel so alive in nature, particularly when greenery/woods and the warmth and brightness of sunlight are combined. Often when I'm out in nature, I'm "on a mission" or driven to do whatever I'm doing - hiking, climbing, kayaking, whatever. Thus, I've got my eyes forward or fixated on the ground to guide my steps. I am learning of the need to pause, to notice the many beautiful sounds and sights around me. Only then when I stop to pause, do I notice the utter beauty of the flickering sunlight coming through the trees above. And a smile slowly unfurls upon my face. My countenance is brightened, as my soul is touched with true beauty, the touches of my Creator. Oh, why do we rush? And miss so much... when there is beauty, beauty like "komorebi" to behold.