If you are shining...

"Whatever happens, if you are shining, we can meet once again.  (君が輝いていれば　いつか　きっと　また　会える）"

In the summer vacation when I was at junior high school, I participated in a programme to stay in an unhabitad island in the western part of the Inland Sea between Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan.  I remember it was the first time for me to take an airplane and went furthest from my hometown of Tokyo.

The programme lasted 11 days and I experienced - now I am looking back that it will be a lifetime experience, building a bamboo house, making salt from sea water, cooking a living chicken etc.  There are about 100 participants and staff at ages from elementary school to high school and adults.

There are adventurous tasks assigned to us every day and those were challenging, but I really enjoyed myself learning smalls tips like how to tie ropes.  I was littele warried at the begining to be away from my family for such a ling time, but when the time goes by, I started enjoying to be with my new friends.

The last few days of our stay went fast for preparing for the festival night.  At the night before we leave the island, we sang a song, "We Love This Island Because You Are Here  (この島が好きさ　君がいるから）,"  hugging each other and cried.  We bulilt an intensive relationship in such a short time.

At the end of the programme, a teacher told us, "From now, whatever happens, if you are shining, we can meet once again."  Even after years, the phrase stayed me firmly.  I think the teacher wanted to tell us to try to be the best you can at any given time, to be proud of yourself, so that you can raise your self esteem, and people can recognise you and like to see you.

In life, time by time we experience farewell, with your family members, close friends or other important people to you, because of one of us moving, changing school/work, separation by other reasons or even death.  We miss them, so much.  But if you could take these situations positively, converting those huge energy into power, it's a chance for you to grow up.  If you are shining, you gain gravity.  You will have a power to attract people.

Jun