The stories that taught me to live

In a small Japanese town on the island of Okinawa, a young woman was dying. No one understood the cause of her illness to be able to help her. People knew her well because she was the mayor's wife. Some of the best doctors and healers were invited for her treatment, but life was leaving her with each passing day.

And one day she didn't get out of bed. Then she realized that life was going forever. She felt that the soul was slowly separating from the body and heading upwards. The woman was filled with pity. It was early morning, the time she usually woke up to start her day - full of noise and concern for others. In the last days, she lived with her memories of her youth, of her wedding, of the birth of her children, of their childhood. She remembered her work, the people she had met over time. She felt sorry for one thing, smiled for another, grieved for a third. But most of all she grieved for being so unjustly punished by fate.

And suddenly she felt that her body became light, light...

At that moment, absorbed by the new, previously unknown feeling, somewhere inside she heard, or rather felt, a loud but very pleasant voice that unexpectedly "asked" her:

- Who are you?

"I'm Megumi, the mayor's wife," she answered quickly and somewhat mechanically.

- I am not asking what is your name and who is your husband. tell me who are you

- I am a mother of three children.

- I ask you: "Who are you"?

"I'm a school teacher," the woman continued uncertainly.

- Am I asking you how many children you have and where you work?

The woman was completely confused. But the question sounded again. There was no haste or discontent in him. But there was a lot of love, there was as much time as she needed. She felt that, but didn't know how to respond. She kept giving new and new answers, but she heard the same question: "Who are you?" It seemed to her that an eternity had passed. She no longer had any answers. She obediently remained silent and awaited her fate. The voice was silent. And in that motionless silence she suddenly said, almost in a whisper:

– I'm the one who wakes up every day, to love, to help his family and teach the children at school.

And at that moment her body shuddered and she felt a warm blanket wrap around her frozen body, her heart beating so hard she could barely hear the birdsong outside. Ignoring her weakness, she threw back the blanket, got out of bed, walked to the window, pushed back the curtain and face, and was illuminated by the bright morning sun.

The woman looked at the clock, it was the time she usually woke up to start her new day - full of worries and noise. She got dressed, went into the kitchen and… started her new day full of strength and energy.

She discovered her ikigai - the one for which each of us came to this world, the one that gives us strength and meaning in life. Small or large, it is our purpose that fills our lives with content and meaning. That which awakens love and gives us light. The thing without which we feel devastated, the thing without which our life is slowly extinguished by an incurable disease... Ikigai - the thing for which we wake up every morning.

retold by Krasimira Dimitrova, psychologist-psychotherapist

_The meaning of the Japanese word ikigai can be described in different ways: "the reason you get out of bed every morning"; "the joy of always being busy"; "the passion that brings you satisfaction and joy"… But they all lead to one thing – the reason to live! And it seems to be one of the things that explains the extraordinary longevity of the Japanese, especially on the islands of Okinawa - one of the places with the most longevity in the entire world. That is where the mysterious word ikigai comes from.

According to authoritative researchers of the concept of ikigai, it is the basis of the long and happy life of the Japanese. Clear ikigai, as well as community living, are at least as important, if not more, than a healthy Japanese diet._

_The ikigai concept is increasingly attracting the interest of Western societies and has long since left the borders of its homeland, Japan. It was she who provoked two Spaniards - the popular Spanish writer Francesc Miralles and Hector García, who has lived in Japan for 12 years - to follow the trail of the mysterious word.

They decided to investigate the secrets of Japanese centenarians on the spot and came to the small village of Ohimi in the northern part of Okinawa, known as the "village of centenarians". The village of 3,000 people is so named for the fact that it has the highest longevity index in the world!

Source: gneztoto.net