Vow with the New Year Sunrise

Santa Monica (Southern California) is known that it does not rain much.

There is Albert Hammond’s 1972 hit song “It Never Rains In Southern California” (the Japanese title is “Blue skies of California”)
If you listen carefully to the lyrics in the song, you will hear, “It never rains in California. But girl, don’t they warn ya? It pours, man, it pours.”

My garden succulent with rain drops

This song might have more meaning, but as actual weather here in Southern California, it is true that we get a lot of rain in some winters.
This winter was one of those winters.
It rained a lot in December and all day long on New Year’s Eve.
I was concerned that I might not be able to go see the annual first sunrise, but the rain stopped early in the morning, and when I got up at 5:00 a.m. and went outside, the scent of my favorite petrichor was in the air.

As the pitch-black sky gradually turned indigo blue, my breath slowly exhaled on the mountain path and disappeared like white smoke, becoming one with the outside air.

The intense reddish-orange light dyed the whole horizon in a blink of an eye.
Praising the light was so comfortable, and I noticed I was not breathing.
I focused on moments of being “Alive” with the light; the realization was present without effort, then my natural breath came into my heart.

Suddenly I noticed some clouds and no more indigo blue in the sky.
As if to counteract my fears, the sun showed a golden thread of light on a wavy line, shining orange on the thick clouds over the mountains.


It seemed as if it took longer than usual for the sun to show its face, as it had been raining for a few days, and the sun felt shy.
When the sun finally rose, it did so slowly, gently, and grandly, with a light of joy like I had never seen before.
I couldn’t even speak.


I was so lost in admiration that I forgot to take the video I always take.
There was only gratitude.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I repeatedly muttered as if I was reciting the Buddha’s prayer.

The sun seemed to be trembling with joy to see us for the first time in a long time after its whole body had risen.
The light became stronger and stronger, and rose higher and higher.
The whole sky was connected to the light.

 

After I came back home, I was moved again when I looked at the photo of the first sunrise while eating New Year’s Ozouni.


I was happy to see the first sunrise of the new year in such good health once again.
Seeing the New Year sunrise is very personal and connects to my soul.
Even only on New Year’s Day, I wake up really early in the morning, hike up a mountain, and formally say “thank you!” to the sun.
I can let the sun know how much I appreciate it officially.

In the afternoon, a rain started to fall again.
The sun was hesitant to say goodbye but left a promising vibe that we would see each other again.
Yes, we will see each other again!
Until then, I vowed with the first sunrise to practice getting along with the clouds and the rain.
(The weather report said it will rain continuously for at least two days!)

Love,
Sanae❤️

New Year Sunrise

There is a new year proverb of the Japanese: 

一年の計は元旦にあり- Ichinen no kei wa gantan ni ari

Freely translation is – “New Year’s day is the key of the year! ” 

The proverb’s direct meaning is that The year’s plan is made on New Year’s Day. 

I usually make a plan spontaneously, but transforming it into action may sometimes take time as I get older with wise decisions. 

I like free translation for New Year’s Day.

I have been practicing my new year day’s ritual to get up and see New Year’s sunrise for about 30 years. I love this ritual to lift my spirits and prepare to start the new year.

It’s has been colder winter for Santa Monica. 

At 5 am on new years’ morning, my brain said, let’s stay in the Christmas gift of organic flannel sheets and stay warm. 

My heart whispered, let’s see new year’s sunrise! 

Let’s go!

And… I went!

2022 new year’s sunrise in Santa Monica was 7:58 am. 

I was with my husband, Eric, elderly dog daughter Lumi and her daughter Happy, and dog son of Kai. 

We also had our friends and their ten-year-old son, who are all first time, come to join us to see new year sunrise. They are all Kai’s friends.

We hiked up and arrived at the spot at 6:15 am.

We waited for the new year’s sunrise to show up. 

The sky transformed artistically, so many different scenes touched my emotions deeply.

 

But at the same time, like last year’s new year’s morning, it was very windy and also colder, and my hand started to feel like freezing with the uncomfortableness.

Our friend’s son found a very very thin paper moon (2 % of the waning crescent moon) in the sky, but we could not see it for a while. 

We were saying, where is it? 

Are you sure it is a moon? 

Finally, we – adults, saw the thread-thin moon as we focused our hearts.

And I forgot how my hands were feeling painfully cold. 

The child’s eyes captured a tiny slite moon, and we were grateful that we could see it too because of him.

Then, I realized I forgot to connect my cell phone to charge as sky was getting blighter.

I thought there were no new year’s sunrise photos this year, but the friends had iPhone 13 and sent me hight quality photos, which were no comparison to my iPhone 8.

Look at these gorgeous new year sunrise photos:

 

Seeing another new year’s sunrise, I felt deeply connected to the sun and nature with an appreciation for being a human being.
I felt happiness simply without material or money.

The universe (God, Higher power) planned for me to sleep without changing my cell phone on new years eve night. Ha, ha, ha!

I thought of another proverb, 塞翁が馬 -Saiyou ga uma.

Freely translation is “Fortune is unpredictable and changeable.”

It will be my 2022 motto.

2022 with gratitude, hope, and love! 

Love, Sanae❤️

New Year Sunrise and Sunset Wish

I was born and raised in Japan, but I have been living in the U.S. for many years.

I feel fortunate to keep some of the Japanese traditions, especially  I have been keeping “Hatsuhinode” Japanese tradition for many years here in America.

“Hatsuhinode” is viewing the first sunrise of the New Year. 

According to both Shinto belief and Buddhist tradition, “Toshigami”—the god of the new year, harvests, and the spirits of ancestors—arrives when the sun rises on New Year’s Day. If you stand outside and make a wish during the sunrise, you will be blessed by Toshigami and your wish will come true during the year to come.

 

I have two dreams of “Hatsuhinode”. One is to view the New Year sunrise from Mt. Ryugatake to see “Diamond Fuji” and the other one is to climb up to Mt. Fuji to view the New Year sunrise.

Diamond Fuji sunrise

Photo: Diamond Fuji sunrise from Mt. Ryugatake (source from Gaijinpot.com)

FujiSunrise_EN-US5899859591_1920x1080

Photo: New Year sunrise from Mt. Fuji  (source from bing.gifposter.com)

Because I have had physical challenges both mechanical parts and internal organs past 27 years so these are probably just dreams, but I enjoyed viewing “Hatsuhinode” from Santa Monica mountain every year with my husband, Eric, and the dogs’ family. I remembered that I even went to see New Year sunrise when I was in a wheelchair so I will continue to view it for a long time.

 

My New Year sunrise routine is no matter what time I go to bed at new years’ even night, I get up about 5 am and leave home around 5:30 am.
New Year’s sunrise time is usually just before 7 am, but every new year’s morning has different weather.
I remember one new year it was so foggy and could not see anything, but just before new year’s sunrise came up it got cleared up.
It was the mysterious new year’s sunrises I ever saw.

I love to be on the hill when it is still dark and the sky is indigo blue and slowly reddish-orange light is oose out.
I believe this is the quietest moment of the year and I am able to feel the silence before the god of the new year coming.

I have experienced unconsciously the peaceful joy of tears wet my cheek which is very precious.

 

This year of 2021, it was very windy.
When I hiked up the mountain wind blow so strong I was almost blown away.
The wind blew off and bought New Year’s sunrise clear and blighter.

NY sunrise before

Photo: Before sunrise

NY sunrise 2021

Photo: Clear and blighter sunrise…can you see downtown, Los Angeles?

 

NY sunrise everyone

Photo: New Year’s Sunrise gives us big smiles every year!

Lani with NY sunrise

Photo: Lani’s first New Year’s sunrise

Eric with Lani

Photo: Eric and Lani (4 months) Lumi (10 years old) and Kai (2 years old)

Since 2020 was a very upheaval and challenging year of Corona Covid-19 various pandemic for the whole world.

It was a sad and difficult time. 

Because of stage IV lymphoma cancer that I had three years and a half ago, I have been taking care of myself carefully. I started “a new me” life and have been practicing social distance before the pandemic came, so I am kind of used to it, but of course, I feel lonely to not see a few frineds that I was seeing and spend time going out for lunch and dinner.

My husband, Eric and I do our best to be kind to each other more than ever and practice self-empathy.

We found out some of our friends got Covid-19 various after Thanksgiving and flighting right now so my wish for this 2021 New Year sunrise…

Wishing us and everyone in the world a safe, healthy, peaceful, and healing new year!
And full recovery for people in the world including our friends to heal soon.”
 

 

There is no Japanese tradition to go to New Year sunset and make a wish, but I thought making another wish or more wish with gorgeous New Year sunset might give us a more excellent spirit start so we also went to see the New Year sunset at Santa Monica beach. 

New year sunset 2021

Photo: Santa Monica beach New Year’s sunset was gorgeous!

New year sunset Eric

Photo: Eric and Nalu with New Year’s sunset

NY sunset Sanae

Photo: Me and Lani with New Year’s sunset

New year sunset

We watched sunrise and sunset on New Year’s day; we appreciate “Sun” so much. Sun’s hard work for us, earth, and nature. 
No matter what, the sunrise shows blight light, which I feel hope and strength, and the sunset promises us faith and trust for the next day. 
Sun is truly god for us!

Sunrise, Sunset!

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Do you know the musical “The Fiddler on the Roof”?
There is a song called “Sunrise, Sunset”. Do you know?
I love this song; here are some lyrics…

 

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as they gaze
 
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
Life is sunrise and sunset like yin and yang and like light and shadow, everything changes, keep changing, and nothing stays the same.
Nature always teaching us, humans.
Let’s notice the blight side over dark shadow and enjoy this moment!
Love,
Sanae ❤️

New Year Elderberry Mocktail 

The last day of 2020.

The whole world has been to go through an upheaval year.
This America has had the most Covid 19 virus-infected in the whole world;19,455,045 cases and 350,778 death was reported so far.
The sad year of 2020.

 

Not Pandemic related, but I have had my own painful experienced this year.
I have been meditating every day more mindfully observe and purified my mind to see the blight side.
I’m ready for the new year of 2021.

 

Christmas weekend, Eric and I went to North Fork, California (near Yosemite) with our six dogs and two cats family.
For the first time, we just did not do much, ate, slept, did meditation, walked in nature, and watched Netflix.

Christmas photos of dogs

 

 

Mai Mai Love with lentil soup

 

Christmas in NF 2020

Christmas day in NF 2020

 

We came back to Santa Monica and we had lots of rain three days ago.
It was a beautiful day today.
Looked at the sky and felt sunlight.

The last day of 2020 Sky

 

I spent a slow relaxing time and just planted shallots in the planter on the rooftop garden.
Usually, I feel I needed to plant much more after rain, but it was just shallots and I was satisfied and relaxed.
I am learning to do much less.

PLanting shollots

 

 

 

Animal family is also relaxed when I am relaxed.

Relaxing dogs

 

Mai Mai Love with Tin Tin on the bedI am grateful for this relaxing last day of 2020.

Grateful to have health and welcome 2021.

Grateful to Eric and the animal family to live with me.

Grateful to family, friends who support my soul.

Grateful to my garden, trees, flowers, plants, and birds.

Grateful to sky, sun, moon, ocean, mountain, and nature.

Grateful to be able to write this blog.

Grateful to people who read my blog.

Grateful to 12 steps program.

Grateful to Vipassana meditation.

Grateful to macrobiotics practice.

Grateful to myself.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

 

I want to introduce a tasteful new year mocktail (none alcohol cocktail) with elderberry which I love to make tea and introduce on my blog before

Healing Elderberry Tea

I am in 12 steps program and sober for almost 36 years so I am looking forward to drinking this special mocktail to enjoy.

Elderberry Mocktail

 

New Year Elderberry Mocktail

Makes 1 drink

Ingredients

  • Peach juice
  • Infused elderberry and white grape juice (*see below how to make)
  • Lime juice

Directions

  1. Fill a champagne flute or a glass about halfway with peach juice.
  2. Gently pour infused elderberry and grape juice over the top to create layers of color.
  3. Add a squeeze of lime juice to add.
  4. Enjoy!

Pro Tip: Using a spoon to catch the initial splash helps to maintain the two-tone color.

 

*Infused Elderberry and White Grape Juice

Makes 6-8 drinks

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces organic white grape juice
  • 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup dried elderberries, to taste
  • 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup dried lemon peel, to taste

Directions

  1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Heat to approximately 200°F, just before boiling.
  3. Remove from heat, cover with a lid, and let infuse for 30 minutes.
  4. Strain the grape juice into a separate pint jar.
  5. Store infused-grape juice in the refrigerator—it should be used within 5 days.

 

Recipes source from https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/elderberry-bellini

 

 

Eric and Sanae Casckedel fall

 

Love,
Sanae ❤️