the belly chronicles

rock and roll

At 10 minutes to three this afternoon, Miel and I were on our way to pick up Isaiah at school. She raced ahead of me on her bike and I spotted a friend's car in the line to the car park, bopping up and down. "Wow, she's really rocking out," I thought. Then her car started to jump and jerk..."car trouble?" I wondered. As I passed, she said in her lilting Australian accent, "Rachel, is this an earthquake?" just as the ground beneath me seemed squishy. I caught up with Miel and we huddled on the sidewalk near the school as I watched the utility pole sway back and forth.

We were ushered into the office as the high school principal calmly instructed students and teachers to stay quiety under their desks as the quake and a couple of aftershocks calmed down.

Once we were allowed to pick up the children, normal life resumed...climbing on the play equipment, snacks at the canteen. Isaiah said he wasn't scared at all of the earthquake, but that when he came out from under his desk, his heart hurt a lot :)

Soon another hit and children were ushered out of the canteen and into the playground. Miel shed her first tears of the afternoon...not out of fear, but because she hadn't gotten to choose her snack yet and Isaiah had.

It was an unforgettable experience to feel this earth go soft and liquid. It actually felt really neat...like I could feel the molten core of the earth beneath the thin crust. Like we were on a boat swaying over rough seas. Of course, during that moment there's no awareness of what's happening elsewhere and the loss of life that ensued. There's no "news." There's just the gentle rolling goes went on and on...and on.

When we got home, we watched a video on tectonic plates and earthquake causes, but in the moment, I told the children that it was Mother Earth settling herself. And I could feel in the moment and in the hours that passed after, that it was another one of her many ways of asking us to wake up, to wake up right now, to the beauty and the truth and the love that surrounds us. In moments like these, just as in other times when we feel her power (snowstorms, typhoons, hurricanes, floods), we know what matters. We wake up.

So, as so many friends are waking up on the other side of the world. I go to sleep hoping that the tsunamis will be gentler than expected. That Steve has as comfortable a night's sleep as one can have on the floor of his office cafeteria. That the three high school students taking refuge with us because they can't get back to Tokyo have warm reunion with their parents tomorrow. That I'll figure out how to turn my gas back on tomorrow. That I'll return to the kind of cooking that my neighbor Mandy must be doing...when I told her I couldn't cook on my stove and asked if she had a warm bowl of food for the students staying with us, offered them up a choice of chicken curry, pad thai, and shepherd's pie, all of which she just happened to have as "leftovers." That I'll remember to count my blessings tomorrow and the day after that.

And I'll go to sleep with some fresh batteries in my flashlight and some warm clothes for the kiddos and I at the side of the bed...just in case.

Thanks for all the love, friends! Right back at ya'.

last of the cozy days

The mild winter is spurting to an end and spring is around the corner...some days upon us, some days teasing us with slushy rain and snow. I'd better finish showing you some of the winter knitting that went on here. Unfortunately for me, there's not much of it. Most of the autumn and winter was spent knitting and unraveling the same sweater (February Lady Sweater) 3 times in 2 different colors. Fun, huh?

After the first unravel, I pulled out this sweet Cascade Farms heathered eco-wool and knit this jumper for Miel. It's the same one I knit 2 years prior, and I'm so glad I did it again. The pattern is from Catherine Tough's Easy Knits for Little Kids. It's Miel's go-to layer for wintertime. Perfect for school and for layering under jackets and sweaters with tights or pants underneath. There's nothing like seeing your little one in a layer of hand-knit wool when she sets of for a chilly day at preschool.

The big motivation for getting going on it was the sweetest store on a backstreet of our Motomachi neighborhood with a gorgeous assortment of buttons. Miel took the longest time choosing the pearly flowers that grace the jumper.

So now I've been project-less for the past month or so. I did make a quick headband for myself and the next day found it with the clothes that were coming out of the dryer reincarnated as a felted coffee cup sleeve. Not in the flow. So I waffle between trying to force myself to create something from my stash to prove that I am worthy or just to take a trip to the yarn store, buy something lovely, and cross my fingers that I'll pull it off this time. The answer seems obvious, but still I waffle.

 

 

goodbyes

We just passed the 2-year anniversary of Belly's death...this blog's namesake. When I told the children, they asked if we (the celebrate-everything family) will be celebrating. Isaiah has a strong vision of Belly celebrating with all the other dogs in the grassy meadow under the rainbow bridge. (Somehow I think they're all wearing party hats in his mind's eye...and hey, maybe they are!)

Our friend Barbara said goodbye to her beloved dog, Molly, this week, as well, so these farewells are on my mind. We were so lucky to spend time with Molly just before we came to Japan, and Isaiah immediately knew that Molly was joining Belly in these grand celebrations.

This one's for you, Belly and Molly. And all wonderful dogs who crossed the rainbow bridge before you.

 

 

our house has become a tumbling gym

We just made two new friends from Denmark! Two kind, outgoing ambassadors who happen to be world class gymnast performers. After hosting these gymnasts from the National Danish Performance Team for 4 days our household is uplifted, as I think the entire YIS community is after watching their performances and participating in their workshops.

It's funny opening your home to total strangers. Of course, for me any concerns come around "What do they eat?" "What should I cook for them?" And of course, they appreciate good healthy food with lots of protein and veggies and fruit...not so hard :) And of course again, anytime you take a risk and open yourself to new experiences, what comes back to you is 10 times what you put out.

So much more than I expected...on a performance level and on a personal level. Performance-wise, I was thinking, "gymnastics...that should be cool." I wasn't thinking...gymnastics (with mind-boggling flips and twists and twirls), yoga (with 12 men simultanously holding a tricky handstand position for about 15 seconds), poi, hoops, ribbon sticks, ball dancing, romance, and clowning. So much of the beauty is in the yin and yang of the performance...men using muscle power to spin themselves in the air, women in pastels doing ballet with ribbons, and then the men showing their hearts as they dance the most graceful movements while the women allow their power to unfold over the hour.

This short trailer gives you a brief idea of what they're about.

On the personal level, the 25 gymnasts are chosen not only for their absolute talent, but for their ability to be ambassadors in a 10-month world touring homestay program. Imagine, you're an athlete needing to stay in top shape, training and performing wherever you go, and staying in random people's homes all over the world, eating what they feed you, sleeping where they put you, spending time with their children.

I'd say we were lucky with our two guests, Christina and Kamilla, who enriched our home during their stay, but I have a feeling each gymnast in the group is as delightful. I know, I am gushing, but I'm so impressed with the program and with the country it comes from. This form of gymnastics is traditional in Denmark, and is a part of the public education program. Coming from a country where "socialism" is a dirty word, hearing about Danish life, education, and the focus on healthy living gave me much food for thought.

We were so glad they wanted to soak and dine at Manyo Onsen...a treat for all of us!

If some beautiful Danish gymnasts ever come knocking on your door, I recommend letting them in!