Resting in the Midst of Fluctuation

Long ago, at a lake,

I had a picnic

with my Aikido teacher and his family.

At one point,

we began asking each other,

“If you could be any animal, what would you be?”

My teacher said,

“Maybe plankton,

floating in the water.

Gently drifting,

moving with the waves.

And if a fish eats me,

then—

‘Ah, I’ve been eaten,’

something like that.” laugh

When I heard this,

I felt surprised,

and at the same time,

a light sense of freedom

and a deep ease.

Just drifting in the water.

Going with the current.

Swaying with the waves.

Gently…

softly floating…

Without resistance,

just as it is.

Resting in the midst of fluctuation.

Living beings

adapt as they change.

The environment is always shifting,

circumstances are constantly changing.

And we ourselves

are also beings of fluctuation.

Not fixed,

but always moving,

always changing.

That is why

we can adapt to change.

Resting in our own fluctuation.

Resting in the midst of fluctuation.

In everyday life,

it’s okay for such a way of being

to be there.

This, too,

is a way of being.

Words and Photo by K E I K O