No, I shouldn’t write “performance”. I played a little at a friend’s art opening. I’m a beginner. J, who has been teaching kalimba to me, couldn’t come, so I improvised and played “Butterfly”, “London Bridge is Falling Down”, “The Bee Flies”, and “Dance of the Rabbit”. Kazuko, the owner of the gallery, and Y also sang, and it seems that the event went smoothly. I am so grateful to everyone for giving me this opportunity.
photo by S.O.Gこちらは、ユニオンスクエアでのイベント：the closing event for the LOV sculpture in Union SQ
I visited to Judi’s art studio. Last year, I asked her to spread some of Orin’s ashes in her bee garden in Italy. She kindly agreed and spread them at the base of a pomegranate tree. This year, the area around the pomegranate tree was full of blooming with many flowers. She showed many nice photos! Bees are flying around, A garden of peace and love. Orin has gone somewhere (and maybe he’s returned to superconsciousness, not individuality anymore), but I’m sure he’s happy. That’s what I feel.
Bee Garden in Murano/Italy. photo by Judi Harvest At her studio. photo by Judi Harvest
October 25th is the 20th months of Orin’s death and his father’s biological birthday. I wonder if they’re getting along well? Also, I wonder if they’re being reborn as a family. In the evening, I went to a kalimba gathering and had a meaningful time. Also, on the 27th, I went to the opening of the WAH Center for the first time in a while. I dressed up a little like a Halloween costume.
M and L were opening a yard sale, sounded fun, so I went. It was a warm & sunny day, known as Indian Summer, with a clear blue sky and warm weather. The contrast with the fallen leaves on the street was a little otherworldly. Also, C had come to New York City, actually this is my first time to see her in 8 years (?!), There was no time or space, no past, no memories, just the encounter and joy of this here and now.
C said that she had a dream about Orin a few weeks ago. She woke up after chatting and hugging him. Orin lives in his friend’s world like this, even if it’s just a “dream world”. How grateful I am.
近所で有名なハロウィーンハウス：The famous Halloween house in the neighborhood
It’s somehow reassuring to motivate myself. By ahead, It doesn’t mean the future, but this moment, but to put it simply, I made a big purchase. A used laptop, but a pretty good version for 2020. The old ones couldn’t be upgraded, so I was kind of stuck with video editing and writing and other things. Tony-san helped me out alot. Thank you very much.
October 3rd is my wedding anniversary with Orin-chan. To celebrate, I’m offering him some bitter red wine, which was his favorite taste. Also I met a friend the day before, and was given great natural salt as a gift, so I made a proper offering here. Really good feeling! rest in peace, love, light, and happiness
M-san came to visit with eel seaweed rolls, corn croquettes, and other things. When Orin was alive, he loved M-san’s cooking and would eat it all up in an instant. Since he was like that, of course we shared some foods with Orin first. When we glanced at the photo, Orin-chan was already full of smiles. No matter how you look at it, his face is flushed red and he is smiling?! Thank you very much, M-san. Gasshou/Rest in peace *I guess the monthly anniversary of his death came forward*
オリンちゃんの月命日に召し上がれ、ってスイーツ満載フォトが届いたよ。 有難う、Kさん！：I received a photo full of sweets to enjoy on the monthly anniversary of Orin-chan’s death. Thank you, K-san!
何て有り難きこと。見事な仏花をオリンにシェアして下さったSちゃん。これも大切なご縁なのですね：What a blessing. S-chan shared her beautiful flowers with Orin. This is also a precious spiritual connection. photo by S.T
Yuma-san requested that she needs to get a video of her performance that I made. I checked out this video for the first time in a while. Ah, how nostalgic! In particular, Orin’s piano soundtrack has been revived after seven years. No, let’s remove the concept of time and space. We are here now, experiencing the “Naka-Ima/just here & now” through video. metamorphosis vol. 2 <– click
Since plants don’t move around themselves, perhaps they use the animals and creatures(human) around them as extensions of themselves? For the past month and a half, I have been taking care of the plants on behalf of my friend. Yes, they are the main characters, so I humbly listen to their requests. Sunlight, direction, watering, care. At first, both of us were nervous (?), but we soon got comfortable with each other and it’s now fun to take care of them.
The other day, I went to visit my dear friend Y with kalimba. I played Japanese children’s songs and sang them in her ears. The forest outside the window was still a remnant of summer before the leaves turned red. The warm sunlight wrapped her.
清楚に謙虚に蕾が出ました：The bud have appeared quietly and humbly.フランクの”作詩”クラスに誘われた。皆が俳句に興味を持っていることが面白いなって思った。：I was invited to Frank’s “Poetry” class. It was nice that everyone there was interested in “haiku”.
I play with the tip of my thumb, barely at the base of my fingernail, and I’m not used to it, so I get blood every time I play the metal keys/tines. J shows me the tip of his finger, a “callus” (!) and tells me to make one. For the time being, I’ve decided to practice the basics and be able to play “Clair de Lune” (Debussy’s piano piece), “Kimi ga Yo” (Japanese national anthem), and, greedily, “Sunayama” (nursery song).
Bushkill Falls ← click. Also known as “Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania”, I had a very enjoyable experience with E-chan and D-chan who invited me to go. This is actually my first time so much enjoyed in the nature since I moved to NYC, I thoroughly enjoyed forest bathing and waterfall bathing. I’m very grateful to the two of them. Thank you very much. ＊All the waterfalls were not only beautiful but also I felt dignity.
折り紙コーナー：Origami corner展示『この空の下』：”Under This Sky: Manhattan Project”浄土真宗僧侶、中垣氏によるドキュメンタリーフィルム『卍 / ﾏﾝｼﾞ』上映：Film Screening of the documentary “Manji” by Rev. Dr. K. Nakagaki
