To be with nature. To be nature. I was reminiscing about a day last year I spent climbing Mt. Haguro alone. Except I wasn’t ever alone. The phrase ‘to be with nature’, is an odd one because humans are a part of nature too. You can’t be with something you are. The phrase may better be said ‘to be nature’. This walk ‘alone’ up Mt. Haguro made me feel, no, we humans are also a part of this world.

That means we are part of nature. That means I am not alone. Wherever you are in the world, and I know there are a lot of you in NZ, in the UK, in America, and of course here in Japan, you are all part of the world.

You can never truly be ‘alone’. Always remember this as we move on to more and more unpredictable times. You’re not the only one who has to struggle, which for me is a cue to be kind to others no matter who they are as they may be going through a struggle, and your kind words or actions may help them out. Be kind, be safe, but don’t be alone.