One night this past week, I sat outside on my front porch for two hours and watched the full moon rise. It was an exceptional view and there were just enough clouds in the night sky to make the scene quite spectacular!
As I was enjoying the view, I remembered that people in Japan actually have a word for "moon viewing". It's "Tsukimi". There is a festival called "O-tsukimi" dedicated to celebrating the full moon in the fall and praying for a bountiful rice harvest.
But the Japanese don't limit their "mindful viewing" to the moon. Hanami means "flower viewing" and is most commonly used to refer to viewing cherry blossoms.
I can certainly appreciate a culture that takes time to simply view and appreciate the beauty of the abundant natural phenomena that surround us all.
In my opinion, we could all use some more mindful viewing in our lives. Let's start this week! Take the time to go to a forest or park and simply "view", using your entire presence of mind, the beauty that surrounds you.
ENJOY NOW!
