Lydia Watanabe, State Reporter Retiring Address
“The Sun Will Rise”
One of my favorite things about Kansas is its sunrises (show sunrise pic). Growing up in Japan, I wasn’t able to fully see a sunrise because we were surrounded by mountains (take out sunrise pic), and I could only see the sun when it had fully risen high in the sky. The sunrise is at around 4:30 in the morning all year long. Although I love getting up to see a sunrise, I am not ambitious enough to get up that early. After experiencing one Kansas sunrise, I was immediately in awe. One Tuesday morning a little over a year ago, as I was walking out of my orthodontist appointment, I saw the sky glowing with purple, pink, orange, yellow, navy even. I quickly got in my car and drove out to the highway where I could see it better. This sunrise made me think about not only the physical light we are surrounded by but the light we have within us and in other people. This filled me with gratitude knowing that even on the dark days in life, we can seek that light. It gave me the inner peace to think about what my purpose is and what my drive is to live life to the fullest.
During my third-grade year, for a year-long period my mom, my brother, and I were in the United States living with my grandma. We had just experienced the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that hit Fukushima, Japan and wanted to get away. My dad had to stay in Japan to keep working but in February, he was able to come visit us for five days in Kansas. He didn’t come alone though. Fun fact about my dad: one of his biggest fears is travelling by himself, especially on a plane. So, he came with one of his best friends, a man named Tamagawa-san. They met by doing karate together when they were younger and have been best friends ever since, and they have a unique and special bond that brings them closer than normal, because Tamagawa-san is blind. Although I was only in third grade, I will never forget the moment when I saw the two of them walking toward us in the airport. They both had on big smiles. We did a lot in those five days but the biggest thing I took away from Tamagawa-san is the way he faced every experience with gratitude. He was so curious about the culture and he tried having
conversations with everyone we met even though he didn’t speak the same language. He was illuminated with joy and gratitude everywhere he went and that rubbed off on all of us. He taught me that no matter how good or bad our circumstances are, we can be the conductive material that turns the light on for others. Even though he’s blind in the ordinary sense, he can always see the light of gratitude. Just like Tamagawa San, we have the power to spark a light of gratitude in others even in our state of blindness towards the future. If even a blind man can see the light of gratitude in every dark situation, what is stopping us? When we can be grateful regardless of our circumstances, we can illuminate the world brighter.
Where in your life are you struggling to feel and express gratitude? For some of us, it may be getting overwhelmed with our to-do lists. Maybe we get too caught up in short-lived conflicts in our relationships or things we can’t control. At the end of the day, it’s hard to see beyond the horizon of our own troubles in life. Knowing this, how can you choose to be a light of gratitude even in darkness? Maybe for you it might be waking up 10 minutes earlier than usual and writing down what you’re grateful for or waking up and stepping outside to breathe in the fresh air and watch the sunrise. Think about the things we get caught up in in life and the things we take for granted every day. Remember that we can always choose to find gratitude and see the light. No matter what darkness we encounter, the sun can always rise up from the horizon.
Acknowledging gratitude is key to life but it is not the purpose we live for. Last semester, I was scrolling through Pinterest. I found a pin that had the word “ikigai” and I froze -It felt like time had stopped. (show ikigai slide) It’s a Japanese word and growing up, I would hear this word often, but it never really clicked with me until that moment. Ikigai translates loosely into “a reason for being, a reason to get up in the morning, to enjoy the meaning of life, passion, purpose, and something one lives for.” (take out ikigai slide) When I read this, I immediately called my mom. When I was done pouring my emotions out to her, she pulled out a book that was titled “ikigai” that she had just ordered off of Amazon. Yet again, I was blown away. I felt like this was a sign that I needed to look into this word deeper and think about my purpose in life . I learned that Ikigai is a concept that’s not just about your purpose but
also about how you bring value to the lives of others along the way. I started to reflect on things that bring meaning to my life and how I add value to others every day, and I have found my own ikigai reflected in the actions, dedication, and work of members I have met this year. One chapter in particular displayed the definition of ikigai I had been searching for… at the charter signing for OATC FFA. As me and Ashley walked in, we were greeted and welcomed by such warm and cheerful members. We saw them do their opening ceremonies, highlight the activities they had participated in, and see the service projects they had been a part of. Seeing those students spread their wings and take their first steps toward finding their ikigai despite being brand new to FFA was something I had never seen before – it opened a new door of perspectives for me.
They showed me that it does not matter how new you are to the game. Just like the sun is determined to rise each morning fulfilling its purpose, once you have established your ikigai, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.
The students at OATC were similar to me. They didn’t have an ag background. They all reminded me of when I first joined FFA my sophomore year of high school and how excited but nervous I was about every little thing. It didn’t matter how much they struggled during their opening ceremonies or tripped over the tablecloth. They all knew the reason and purpose behind why they were there and were genuinely excited for a new beginning. They were all ready with their own unique and powerful sunrise-like resilience to live out their newfound ikigai. Even though nontraditional, they reminded me that there are all kinds of personalities and perspectives here, just like there are all kinds of sunrises. FFA is an amazing place to find our ikigai and every morning the sun rises and FFA members find theirs.
It took me flying halfway across the world to find my ikigai. Now, I’m not saying you have to purchase a plane ticket tomorrow, but to still. seek. out. ikigai just as sunflowers lean toward the sunrise. Even when my alarm fails to wake me up to watch the sunrise, I have learned that I can be my own sunrise, now that I have found my ikigai and can spread light farther than just myself. Just as the sunrise reaches beyond the horizon, we are capable of reaching beyond ourselves. How many lives are yet to be
reached because we haven’t sought out our ikigai? How can we embrace our ikigai just as the sky embraces the sunrise?
As we go through life, we see bright moments just like the sunrise but also dark times when we feel blindsided. Despite whatever we’ve experienced in the past, we can always have the courage to live in gratitude. Appreciation and joy are contagious, and we have the ability to remember them in ourselves and inspire them in others. Using our gratitude, we can go on a journey to find our ikigai. By finding it, we’ll see the light illuminating within ourselves and within the people we impact. To see bright moments, like a magnificent Kansas sunrise (show sunrise pic), we must choose gratitude and focus on the things that bring purpose to our lives and to the lives of others. Kansas FFA, your dedication and commitment to this organization is a light that shines even brighter than a Kansas sunrise. You shine brighter than any sunrise I have ever seen. So, I leave you with this, the sun rises to every occasion, so how will you?
