My special “Mono No Aware”

Accept change. Better even love it, unconditionally. This was one of the wisdom codes my Eastern teachers passed on to me.

Not so easy for a Western mind that has a tendency to grab and stubbornly hold on to stuff that seems important.

When the time comes

Right now, we are ready to get on the road with Big Paul, but „circumstances“ make us step on the break.

Big Paul once again needs a car mechanic to work on the door. And the school holidays in Germany that have different starting dates in different States make us adapt our schedule, because we want to escape the unavoidable traffic jams on the Autobahn.

A great opportunity to accept change. So, when will we finally set off?
In the old days, tribal communities would have answered: „When the time comes.“
Until then, anything else can happen and you continue with your life.

This means, you’d better be patient and enjoy what comes along, because nothing will persist, not even obstacles and delays. Just trust that you will know when everything is okay and the time is right to start your trip.

Grabbing the moment

The Japanese term „Mono no aware“ translates into something like „the pathos of things“. It’s the philosophy of enjoying the fleetingness of the moment and the Japanese celebrate it every year when the cherry blossoms appear for just a couple of days.

The ability to cherish what you have in the here and now, knowing you cannot have it forever, is an art in itself. And it makes the moment worthwhile, although you might have plans for the future that are even more promising.

Furry friends are great teachers

Animals are doing a great job staying in the here and now.

A little cat reminded me of this when she kindly interrupted my straight walk to the supermarket, where I wanted to buy stuff for the road.

She came purring and nestling up against my legs for a moment. A short exchange of affabilities, we both enjoyed it very much and off she went to something else that caught her attention.

Driving through the countryside the other day, I didn’t have a chance to speed due to cow traffic. It was time for milking and all those cows were strolling along across the entire width of the street.

So the drivers just took their time watching the ballet of heaving cow butts in front of them, until every single cow had found their home barn.

No hectic, please.

Although we are really looking forward to get on the road with Big Paul soon, we still take our daily walks and enjoy what nature offers us at this time of the year.

The lime trees are in full blossom now and fill the air with their mellow honeylike fragrance.

Also, we would not want to miss the „Knabenkraut“ (Dactylorhiza), a little spotted meadow orchid that is coming up right now. Well protected by law, we nowadays can see lots of them in areas rarely used for agriculture.