Live Prosper

The Japanese world's oldest living person, Misao Okawa, passed away this spring.

 

image:http://canadajournal.net/world/misao-okawa-worlds-oldest-person-turns-117-23686-2015/

When I saw her photos, there was something about the way how all the Japanese people age, like the way how they look when they are really old somehow reminded me of my grandmother.

Mrs.Okawa was a lot older than my grandmother, but their faces with wrinkles and the way how they looked on the wheelchair were a lot similar. I realized that is how we all eventually will become if we were to live for nearly a century; you become smaller, your face, your hands, your body look like something no longer have same function or ability as they used to, and they hardly leave glimpse of what they once looked.

Now, I don't want people to think this is depressing. Aging, for some people, may not be as enjoyable as it was when we were teen or twenties, but let's say that's living. We all are given time equally, regardless of the gender, age, wealth, nationality, sexual orientation, anything. We all have twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty five days a year. That is one thing I know that is given absolutely equally to each of us.

Living is consuming our lives. At this right moment, life is born and dying.

Mrs.Okawa said the secret of her longevity was "to eat well, sleep well, and you have to learn to relax."

Luckily, I do two things well-I eat well, almost too well, and sleep well.

But how many people could honestly say they live relaxed today?

We all are living in such a hectic world in a massive rush everyday.

Do we all have even a moment to enjoy ourselves every single day?

These days, that is what's been in my mind.

Am I relaxed? Am I breathing? Am I rushing too much? Then why?

(should I go back to my YOGA routine? Do I even have time for that? etc..)

Because I feel that I have lived my whole life thinking that I had to grow up faster, I now feel that I kind of have lived at least years longer than my actual age.

Although I have seen, done things, it only reminded me how little I know about anything.

And I wonder if I could live up to, or even close to Mrs.Okawa did, would I be able to finally understand the concept of this mysterious thing called "life"?

It is extremely difficult to even conceptualize "life," but when I saw Mrs.Okawa celebrating her 115th, 116th, and 117th birthday in the articles, I kind of "got it." I don't know if that's even right to say "I got it" but that's probably the closest way I can explain how I felt.

 

image: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150304/lifestyle-offbeat/article/worlds-oldest-person-celebrates-day-turning-117

I love how Mrs.Okawa smiles in the photos. She dresses up with a flower clipped on her hair.

I remember how my grandmother used to wear lots of jewelry and put a red lipstick on every day and smiled at the mirror.

Even when she got too old to put make up on herself, whenever we had someone to do it for her, she was very happy. She was old, small, and incapable of doing everyday normal things as a person, but inside of her, she was still a young woman.

Every time I saw her smile, it made me realize she was just like me.

Now I wonder, if I ever could live as long as they say human could by 2050, would I look at my photos and go "how wonderful, my wedding happened a hundred years ago"?

Well..that's probably another story, but that's it for the day.

Thanks for reading.

R.I.P. Okawa-san

**Pigeon Dynamite is coming to Manhattan on May 21st!!**

RAW;natural born artists show case event!

Tickets are pre-sale now! Don't miss out!

日本人で世界一長寿であった大川ミサオさんが今年の春に亡くなられました。

何となく見かけたニュースでの写真を見たとき、ふと私の祖母を思い出しました。

大川さんはそれこそ私の祖母よりも20年以上年上だったんですが、

何というか、日本人のお年寄りの典型というか、

皆小さく、皺の深い手や顔が、私の祖母を思い出させたのです。

年を取ると、若かった頃の面影も殆ど残らず、当然体も不自由になっていきます。

物凄く憂鬱に聞こえるかも知れませんが、それも人生。

生きるという事は自分の時間（命）を消耗する事なのです。

1日24時間。お金持ちだろうが、年寄りだろうが、若かろうが、国籍、セクシュアリティー何も関係なく、唯一平等に与えられている時間。

大川さんは、長寿の秘訣は美味しいものを食べて、よく寝て、ゆっくり暮らす事だと言っていました。

私は最初の二つは幸福にもまっとうしているんですが（というか、食べ物に関してはちょっとセーブしても良い位）ゆっくり暮らす、というのが

現代人のいったいどれほどの人が実行しているのか正直疑問に思いました。

今の私たちが住んでいるこの世界は、全てが忙しく、せわしなく動いています。

そんな中でゆっくりリラックスして生活できる人がいったい何人いるのか？

私も人生駆け足で生きてきた人間なので、自分でも実際の年齢より何年か位長くもう生きている気分だったんですが、ふと立ち止まって、

なんでこんな生き急いでいるのか？と思う事が増えたような気がします。

ヨガでもまた始めた方が良いんじゃないか。。とか。

生きれば生きる程、知れば知るほど、自分は何も知らないと思い知らされるのが人生。

もしも大川さん位長く生きる事が出来れば、この不思議な人生というものの意味がようやく理解できるのかな？と思います。

大川さんの写真を見たとき、でも何故か「何か」がわかった様な気がしました。

 

写真の彼女を見て、誕生日ケーキを前におめかしをした笑顔の大川さんに私の祖母を見たような気がしました。

私の祖母は毎日沢山の宝石をつけて、真っ赤な口紅をひき、手鏡に向かってニコっと笑っていました。

祖母がそれこそ年を取って自分では化粧が出来なくなっても、

誰かに化粧をしてもらうと、いつも喜んで微笑んでいたのを覚えています。

皺々で、小さくなって、毎日の普通の事が出来なくなっても、

心の中では若い女の子と何ら変わりの無かった祖母。

口紅を塗って笑顔を見せる祖母は、私と同じなんだと10代そこそだった当時の私も感じていました。

もしもメディアが言うように2050年までに人間の寿命が延びて、いつか自分の結婚式のアルバムを見ながら、「あら〜、もう100年も経つのね」なんて言う日が来るのか？と思うと。。

これはまた別の話だなーと思う自分が居ます。

 とりあえず、今回はここまで。

大川さん、ご家族にご冥福をお祈りします。

NYに いる方、必見！

**Pigeon Dynamite が マンハッタンにて5月21日パブリックセールをします!!**

RAW;natural born artists show case event!

チケットは pre-sale 中! Don't miss out!