It doesn’t take much to live a ‘perfect day’: a simple routine, taking one’s work seriously, and some hobbies along with oldies and books. A good attitude, being present, and paying attention to little things also help. When we find connections with others along the way, it can transform an ordinary daily routine into something magical.
“Komorebi: A Japanese word for the dancing shadow patterns created by sunlight shining through the rustling leaves of trees.”
“Next time is next time. Now is now.”
“The world is made of many worlds. Some are connected, and some are not.”
Ochette: Aggie! The man over there asked me to give this to you.
Agnea: A letter? I wonder what it says…
“I never believed in love at first sight until I saw you.” “Would you have dinner with me? I know where they serve the finest meat in town.”
Castti: Why, this is…
Throne: A love letter!
Ochette: The finest meat in town…You’re going right, Aggie?
Castti: You’re drooling, Ochette…
Throne: Everything is an experience, Agnea.
Castti: But not every experience needs to be had. Men can be wolves, but you’re no sheep.
Ochette: Awoooo!
Agnea: H-hold on just a moment! I am flattered, but…I think I need to refuse. We’re in the middle of a journey. I doubt I’ll have much time for romance.
Castti: A wise decision. You have a good head on your shoulder, Agnea.
Agnea: I…I didn’t know people actually sent love letters…
Castti: I’m surprised. I would’ve thought you’d have gotten piles of them back in your hometown.
Throne: You mentioned you were close with a certain tavern keep, didn’t you?
Agnea: G-G-Gus!? But he’s just a friend!
Throne: Perhaps to you. But are you sure he feels the same? You’ve fallen in love before, haven’t you, Agnea?
Agnea: L-love, huh…
Ochette: Huh? How do you fall into love?
Castti: It’s hard to explain, but…you’ll know when your heart starts to flutter.
Ochette: Hmm…I don’t get it…
Throne: By the by, what is romance like for beastlings?
Ochette: Well, my ma and pa bonded over their love of meat!
Throne: I…I see.
Agnea: If we’re talking about when our hearts flutter, mine certainly has! In fact, it just won’t stop whenever I make someone laugh or smile with my dancing.
Throne: Hah, you truly were born for the stage, Agnea.
Agnea: What makes your heart flutter, Castti?
Castti: Hmm…I suppose whenever someone shows me their vulnerable side. It makes me want to protect them.
Ochette: You’re a real mother hen, Castti!
Throne: I can’t stand weaklings.
Castti: Oh? Then what makes your heart flutter, Throne?
Throne: …When they wag their tail.
Agnea: Are you talking about…dogs?
Throne: Hah, of course I am. They’re so adorable and they love me, too.
Ochette: Ohhh, I get it now!
Throne: You do…?
Ochette: Feeling in love is like…when you see someone you like and your tail won’t stop wagging! Heh heh. It’s pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?
Castti: ! Could it be…
Agnea: …Ochette’s fallen in love, too?
Travel Banter: Memories of Youth
Partitio: Comin’ to a tavern never fails to remind me that I’m a man grown now. Feels like my childhood was a lifetime ‘n’ a half ago.
Temenos: Haha. Might I ask what you were like in your youth, Partitio?
Partitio: Me? I was trying’ to be a merchant, just like Pops. I spent my days learnin’ everything I could from sunup to sundown. Not much has changed, now that I think about it.
Temenos: I see. You’ve always been dedicated to mastering your craft, then.
Partitio: Heh, guess so. Say, Osvald, what were you like as a kid?
Osvald: My days were spent reading. I thought I had all the time in the world back then. But now I realise how naive I was. Time is finite. One must choose wisely how to spend it.
Temenos: I know precisely how you feel. Life was much simpler when we were children. Wasn’t it?
Partitio: And you, Temenos?
Temenos: Well…Long ago, my friend Ron was bedridden with a high fever. At the time, I could do nothing but pray for him. I begged the gods to save his life.
Partitio: So you were a stand-up fella even back then, huh.
Temenos: Haha…If I could speak to my younger self now, I would say thus: “Rely not on the gods, but your own power to save him.”
Osvald: …
Partitio: I guess as time goes by…we all change, just like the seasons.
Temenos: We cannot remain children forever.
Osvald: Indeed. Our youth is gone…and shall not return.
I thought one of the saddest things in the world is feeling a vast distance despite being physically close to someone (or someone we’d known for years). But perhaps this doesn’t have to be the case:
Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.
I feel blue from time to time. It usually happens when I’m feeling fatigued or ruminating over something that I can’t do much about. Sometimes it happens without reasons. Exercise tends to be a good way to help me feel better, whether it’s going for a walk, a swim, to the gym, or playing basketball.
Sometimes I embrace this feeling. It feels like a good time to browse a bookstore, waste time in a café, or just listen to music. Perhaps it’s telling me to listen to my deeper feelings, embark on something new, or reconnect with people I care about. Time seems to slow down when I’m in this mood, with more calmness, reflections, and sentimentality.
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