When I encounter a colorful gorgeous sunset like this, I feel so happy and have a dream of a wonderful future.

Do you feel warm lights surrounding you?

Do you get sense of relief?

It’s a peaceful time, isn’t it?

Our future will be loving each other, respecting each other, taking care of each other.

We don’t need to rush.

Be ourselves.

Do what you have passion for.

That leads to our happy world.

José Mujica is Uruguayan politician who served as the 40th President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was imprisoned for 12 years during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.

I didn’t know him till yesterday.

Yesterday I opened Youtube, the title “ the poorest president in a world” in Japanese which attracted me. So I watched the youtube, more and more videos about him.

While serving as 40th president of Uruguay, he donated around 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.

In his interview:

“I’m not poor. Poor doesn’t mean having few things, rather, it means having infinite desire, never satisfied, even with having more than enough.”

“We are born naked, and we die naked.”

“Try to enjoy your life.”

“The miracle of life is maximum happiness.”

”Unfortunately life has a limit. But Love doesn’t.”

I believe that Love, smiles, happiness are contagious.

Let’s do it.

Since I was a child, I love to watch whirlpool in ocean.

Just staring at whirlpool for long time. Actuary I don’t pay attention to the passing of time.

Just follow colors, lights, stream of waves movement. 

It’s a wonderful world.

I just realize that it is a meditation.

Empty brain, thinking nothing, focusing on now, this moment.

Here is 12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#section1

1. Reduces Stress: 

2. Controls Anxiety: 

3. Promotes Emotional Health:

4. Enhances Self-Awareness: 

5. Lengthens Attention Span: 

6. May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss:

7. Can Generate Kindness: 

8. May Help Fight Addictions

9. Improves Sleep:

10. Helps Control Pain

11. Can Decrease Blood Pressure

12. You Can Meditate Anywhere

Can you believe, just relaxing/emptying brain, we get so much precious benefits?

How about using Shelter-in-place as the opportunity for meditation?

Then we will see what a great gift we have now. 

It is Free time. 

We know the world is changing.

Let’s introspect and reassess our life.

First, stabilize our mind with a healthy life, and then build our future expectations.

Then nature and our subconscious will guide us in the right direction.

What do you think?

This location is East Peak Stage Gulch Pass, Sonoma CA.

Do you remember that the last winter was very odd? 

It was still winter but suddenly sunny and the temperature went up 70’s Fahrenheit in Sonoma County.

Colors were bright and sparkling.

Colors and lights were vibrating each other.

Do you feel it?

This morning I read e-mail from City of Santa Rosa.

Over the past few days, the City of Santa Rosa has received numerous questions regarding the closure of our parks and open spaces. The County of Sonoma has added Parks and Outdoor Activities Protocol FAQs on their website. Access those at bit.ly/3duazX5 

What!? We have to be doomed to put on fat because we can’t do outdoor exercising?

I believe that State parks trails, beaches are still open in Mendocino. 

I’d like to share this idea with you:

Affirmation is a way to make it a reality by speaking positive words.

The power of words is greater than we can imagine, and it is an important tool for drawing the reality we want.

For example, if we want to make a project that we are working on succeed, we can say, “The project I am working on is leading to success.” We will be drawn.

Furthermore, by simply adding “Thank you” at the end, this will make us positive.

Affirmation is prayer, and prayer is affirmation.

By accepting what you want to embody as a reality and expressing thanks, it wakes our subconscious to bring us ideas that can embody it.

All you have to do is put that idea into action.

Does it make sense to you?

Hope it does to you and we can have our happy world.

How are you?

At first I felt a shock  from “ordered residents to Shelter-in-Place” on March 17.

At that time, in Sonoma County there were only three COVID-19 cases.

I went to grocery shopping when the Trader Joe’s opens in the morning.

The News mentioned “First in the morning is the cleanest inside of the market.” 

There was a long waiting line to get inside of the store. They limited 10 customers a time.

But I finished shopping, the waiting line outside was shrank to only three people.

I told myself, “Next time I come to shopping one hour after they open”.

All facilities are closed, so we can’t play ping pong. 

We did cycling. Much less cars on roads 🙂

We saw many people enjoying cycling, hiking, walking with family and friends. 

It was a beautiful scenery.

I have heard “ We have to ready for the upheaval.”

I believe this is the time.

Isolate from everything means by proceeding without being disturbed by the noise and negative voices around us and listen to and follow our inner voice while maintaining a positive outlook for the future, we will naturally be able to solve our problems and live freely.

This change will require more effort, but we understand the benefits of this change and can take action on our own.

If we strive to balance material hope with the connection with our inner voice , we can proceed without hesitation.

And we are urging ourselves to be positive and optimistic.

Follower our inner voices we hear when we are positive, as they will be communicated through our intuition and ideas.

Be close to the changes that are so important to our life that we are approaching.

If we have our own beliefs, we will not lose our way.

Let go of those that no longer have a positive effect on us and replace them with better new ones.

Be confident that we are moving in a happy direction and enjoy our daily life.

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope some day you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Love all,

Mariko

Do you remember that we were so scared by very dry weather. Even in November we didn’t have any rainy day. Already we had big fires in October in the Northern California.

High wind had blown, PG&E shouted off electricity in some places for safe. What a threat, wasn’t  it?

Now we are having rain, what a precious rainy days.

Still some colorful autumn leaves are hanging on trees. 

We can see birds on brunches without leaves. They are busy before winter.

Already ground is covered with fresh green.

Air is not dusty, smells fresh and moisture. 

And it’s so quiet, seems like rain suck up noise.

I just red very interesting article : 

The true meaning of “get energetic” is the electromagnetic field from the heart TransTech conference

â–² Positive emotions synchronize the heart and brain

Heart rhythm and brain alpha waves are known to synchronize naturally, but especially when thinking about positive emotions in the heart, the heart rhythm becomes very regular, and as a result the alpha rhythm also It is synchronized with the heart and becomes regular.

When the heart and brain waves begin to synchronize regularly, the rhythm of breathing, blood pressure, and the rhythm of electrical signals on the skin also begin to synchronize. The authors of this paper call this state “physical coherence,” and if physical coherence is achieved, the body will begin to work most efficiently and will receive various mental and physical benefits. Yes. For example, the efficiency of fluid exchange, passage, and absorption in capillaries and cellular tissues is improved, and the adaptability to cardiovascular circulation needs is improved. As a result, immunity is improved. In addition, cognitive ability improves, thinking becomes clear, and emotions are stable. As a result, the happiness level is said to improve.

â–² Positive emotions affect other people’s bodies

Now, let’s summarize the story so far. First, one point is that emotions are not generated only by the brain, but by teamwork of the heart and brain. The second point is that positive emotional electromagnetic waves transmitted by the heart synchronize the brain and synchronize all the cells of the body. Third, electromagnetic waves reach not only your own body, but also the other person’s body nearby.

So on, if you’d like to read more and if you like in English click translate: 

I experienced breath right is most important to improve health and thinking positively. 

Other words, if we are healthy, we can think positive and breath right. Or if we think negative, we get physically sick and breathing rhythm is irregular.

I felt Happiness is contagious for long time ago, since then I believe it.　

Do we want to have happy lives? Then breath right and think positive. It’s simple, right?

Happy holidays!!

Let’s send positive energy waves to Universe.

We love everybody to be happy.

Somehow some undesirables events have been happened to me.

But they are coming alone fine.

On the day going to Japan, It was no wind, but PG&E shut off happened to my home in Santa Rosa. They announced they might to shut off because wind condition before that day.

But when I got up in the morning, air was so calm, but no electricity in a house!!??

Of cause no internet, no landline phone.

Luckily I had a hard copy of the Bus schedule to SF Airport. So I got phone number of the bus company. I called them to find the bus was running on schedule and phone number of the Taxi company by my cell phone.

So there is no problem to get to SF Airport except I couldn’t dry my hair by hair dryer.

When we got Tokyo, everybody was preparing for a biggest typhoon. They told me if our flight were one day after, maybe we couldn’t land in Tokyo.

The next day, all public transportation were halted because of the typhoon.

So no school, no business, shops would be closed.

We went to the pub where serves very good variety Japanese food. Everybody was so happy because the next day they didn’t need to go to work so they could drink without thinking about the next day work.

We stayed very closed to Kichijoji station in the building. So very strong wind and rain, but it didn’t scare us. Even we walked in the typhoon to find a market for food in a block. Luckily two markets were opened.

But the next day of the typhoon, our plan was going to mountains in Yamanashi prefecture. But all road were closed. So we stayed in Tokyo two more days. We could do shopping and we found Sports center which has 8 Table Tennis Tables so we played Table Tennis. We had a good time and great meals at restaurants.

Several days before we came back from Tokyo to S.F. Air port, we got announcements around my home in Santa Rosa. It became to be evacuation area, because the fire!!

But a few minutes after we landed S.F. air port, we got an announcement from City of Santa Rosa, all evacuation area in Santa Rosa were lifted. 

Thank you so much for that.

So much undesirable events happen in our lives, we get stress out, right? Even it became to be harmless. At that time, breath deeply, calmly and slowly, then we feel nice soft atmosphere holding us.

Now we can look forward to tomorrow, don’t you?

Let’s have positive thoughts and release the energy to our wonderful planet.

“245. Morning Light at Big River” watercolor by Mariko Irie

This location is Big River in Mendocino, CA.

We launched a small electric boat to go up the river.

The boat was small, so my eye level was so low like sitting on the surface of the river.

It was very morning in fresh and a little chilly air. The sun ray was just right spot and shined the bank and water.

The electric boat is fabulous, because we don’t need to worry about the tie.

The Big River meets the ocean.

If you take a rowboat, you better to go up the river when the high tide and coming down when tie ebb. Otherwise you have to work soooooo hard.

Also the electric boat benefit is so quiet, it doesn’t disturb creatures.

We enjoyed otters and blue herons very much through this ride.

“198. To Point Cabrillo Light House” watercolor painting by Mariko Irie

This location is in Casper, Mendocino Coast, California.

I just found the official name is Point Cabrillo Light Station.

They built a small Art Gallery at the parking lot in 2005.

When we were celebrating the Art Gallery opening, I saw the sky was getting reddish.

I told my friends “I’m sorry I have to go.”

The half mile downhill walk to the Light Station buildings from the Art gallery/parking lot.

I didn’t miss the opportunity to see the sunset view. So I run downhill.

Before getting to the Light Station buildings, I saw this gorgeous scene. Isn’t it exquisite?

If you’d like to know about the Point Cabrillo Light Station, you may visit their educational website:

http://pointcabrillo.org/learn/history/lshistory/

Point Cabrillo Light Station

and a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW38ttIeX6c

Point Cabrillo Light Station

“972. Palm Warbler” Oil painting by Mariko Irie

I love this scene: An ordinary bird and ordinary scene.

It makes me smile.

If we lost this kind of scenes, we would miss them from our heat, don’t we?

“959. Black Phoebe” Oil painting by Mariko Irie

I love this little bird.

After I painted this bird and stump, my brush stopped.

I left this painting on a shelf, and had looked at the painting every day.

One early morning I was watching outside: small bits of blue sky in white clouds, morning lights were twinkling on the branches.

Then I got an idea for the background of the bird.

This back ground makes the bird warm and happy, doesn’t it?

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