OBACHAN'S SCRIBBLES

Friday, July 08, 2005

HOW MANY OF YOUR DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE?

My mind was so occupied with the mistakes I made at work yesterday that I completely forgot about Tanabata matsuri (Star Festival) last night. Well, even if I had remembered, I wouldn’t have done anything special last night anyway. (I took these photos in a shopping arcade this afternoon.)



Our family celebrated tanabata until I was about 12 years old. I still remember me and my younger sister eating supper outside right next to the 2 bamboo trees, both decorated with bunch of colorful paper strips and ornaments, in the front yard of my parents' house. We would write our wishes on the paper strips and kept them hung on the bamboo trees overnight, and throw them into the ocean on the next day to send all the wishes to the mother nature. Sorry about the NON-ecology-conscious custom… I don’t think people are allowed to do that in our hometown any more…;P But doesn’t that sound like a romantic custom?)

Although I don’t write my wishes on a piece of paper for tanabata matsuri any more, I do have some wishes, just like you probably do. Among some almost-impossible ones, there is one that looks relatively feasible. The wish, or dream is: living in a house near the ocean with a big dog. I want to walk the dog on the beach, being surrounded by the sound of waves and watching the sun setting into the ocean.

I have pictured this scene in my mind thousands times, and honestly speaking, it is often the only thing that keeps me going when I feel stuck. If this dream would come true… I don’t know…maybe my personality could change dramatically in a very positive way? Well, that’s one heck of a wishful thinking, I guess :)

BTW, I did say a big dog, but I don’t mean really really big one. I certainly can not take care of a dog as big as Buck Bundy.

posted by obachan, 7/08/2005 05:34:00 PM

4 Comments:

I think the tanabata custom sounds wonderful. And I don't think it's too bad from an ecological point of view; I mean, you're not throwing plastic strips into the ocean, right? Paper should break down quickly...

Here's another wish from across the ocean that you get your wish, your house by the ocean and the big dog. [Maybe it's because I'm half Japanese or because the other half is Portuguese (definitely sea-farers), or because I grew up near the ocean, but I also long to be near the ocean. I'm not doing so well, surrounded as I am by dry dirt and cactus.] 

Posted by Amanda
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 7/09/2005 10:46 PM  
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your kind wish! :D
Oh, you understand what it's like to miss the ocean so much, don't you? To me, the sound of waves is such an essential rhythm in everyday life and I feel sort of choked when not hearing it. You know what I mean?
BTW, to be honest, I didn't know how close Portugal is to the ocean until now. Thanks for broadening my horizons. 

Posted by obachan
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 7/10/2005 7:35 PM  
obachan;
What a wonderful dream...living by the ocean...How much more serene and beautiful could life be? And the best part would be the big dog...I have two dogs who would love to live by the shore and walk every day. You live in Japan....make the dream come true!!! Until that day...what an aspiration! Makes one work a bit harder doesn't it? Ha ha. ....or you could marry rich??? ha ha.. 

Posted by carlyn
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 7/11/2005 9:13 AM  
Oh it must be so nice to live with two dogs :) 

Posted by obachan
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 7/12/2005 4:07 PM  

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