Below is my Jodo Mission of Hawaii President’s message printed in our January 2018 bulletin:
Dear Members,
Thank you for your support and for attending Jodo Mission of Hawaii’s services, Bon dance, mochi-making, and other events. In the last quarter of 2017, we have repaired and painted our temple and begun repairing and painting our apartment buildings. We are happy on how beautiful it looks!
One of my wishes for you in 2018 and for the rest of your existence is to have peace and happiness within yourself, so that you can share your peace and happiness with others. In our Buddhist practice, we work daily on the Noble Eightfold Path of Right Understanding, Right Purpose, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Thought, and Right Mediation. A practice that’s mentioned in Buddhist scripture that has helped me tremendously is gratitude. Everyday, from the moment we wake up, we can be thankful for what we have such as the cozy bed that we just slept in; taste of hot green tea; orange glow of the morning sun; useful kitchenware we use to make our tasty breakfast; and a quiet self-reflection or meditation. Start the morning with this peaceful gratitude practice, and you will power through the day with more gratitude and push through difficult situations with a balanced soul.
Ever wondered why positive people make huge comebacks and negative people fade away? Negative people may be able to win the short game but only positive people win the long game!
My office tonight, the dining table at my sister Mia and brother-in-law Mike’s beautiful house. Task by task, day by day, we will eventually get there. It may take years, but it’ll be worth it!!!
Since April 7, 2015, I’ve been working quietly on a few start-up companies and taking in business clients once in a while that need legal or government affairs services. I often joke to my friends or acquaintances who wonder what I’m up to, by telling them that I’m training quietly at a planet in the outer rim called Tatooine where Obiwan Kenobi and Luke Sywalker were in hiding, and rebuilding the way of the Jedi. On the eve of 2018, I reflect on the things I’ve done in 2017 such as spending time with my family on 83 occasions or days; being with my sister Mia and her family who lives in the Bay Area, California for 12 days, and when apart, video conferencing them 27x with my parents and sister Lara; exercising (running, lifting weights, and swimming) 144x; running 550 miles; finishing the Honolulu Marathon and Great Aloha Run; writing 68,979 words for my 2nd novel; receiving a finalized land deal just before the end of the year that I will sign on behalf of one of the companies I’m building; working on 3 other start-up projects in the preliminary stages that’s slated for launch in 2018; and traveling to Beverly Hills, California in February 2017 for work and San Mateo, California in December 2017 to share the Holiday Season with my immediate family. Excited for 2018!!!
Here, I’m pictured in San Mateo, California as I enjoy my time with my family. I wish you a happy, healthy, and succesful 2018!!!
I now have 70 practices for my inner peace and happiness. One is listening to music, especially Electronic Dance Music or EDM, and yes, I dance by myself!!! I once got caught dancing by myself in my office by a staffer from another office when I was a young politician. Lol!!! Let’s go boys and girls!!!!!!!
Anything is possible when you have dragons!!! Let’s keep attacking our goals like a dragon on fire!!! Oh, and a nice lover to share the experiences with, would be a bonus. 😍
On that early evening, I waited by the small, shallow pond in the middle of the large field like we planned a year ago. It was dark. The clouds blacked out all of the stars above. Anxious, I began to pull at the tall blades of wild grass. Did she forget about me? Had she really moved on? In a bitter argument sometime after our promise, I was blocked out of her life. If she had wanted to reconcile with me, she would have contacted me. I was beyond wishing. Instead, I was living in a fantasy.
I waited for about an hour and gave up. Rather than heading back home, I kicked off my shoes, took off my socks, and rolled up my pants to just below my knees. I entered the pond, in an attempt to make the most of my trip there. The cool water felt nice, and I was mindful of the soft mud squeezing between my toes. I slowly proceeded to the middle of the pond, where at that point, I had no care of wetting my clothes. So I crouched down, placed my face in my hands, and let my emotions go. I felt my tears seeping out beneath my palms, making little drops that fell into the water. I stayed like this for some time.
Then, I heard something. There was a buzz. Then a second buzz. And then another and another. I raised my face out of my hands to see what was going on. There were hundreds of fireflies flying in the air, lighting up the pond like tiny flickering candles.
Further away, I heard a faint sound of grass moving in the darkness. Many of the fireflies flew towards the noise. And then I saw a silhouette of the curves of a woman near the other end of the pond. She took a step into the light of the fireflies. It was Kaylee. She was smiling at me in a fitted long-sleeve top and a short skirt. We stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other. My tears were now coming from joy. I grinned back at her.
“Sorry,” she broke the silence. “It took me longer than I thought.”
I looked at her high-heeled sandals and giggled with a shake of my head.
Kaylee followed my eyes and looked down at her feet. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bent over to unstrap and take off her sandals. Then, she lifted her light skirt and waded into the pond. As she walked towards me, ripples moved across the pool of water. Upon meeting me, she wrapped her arms around my waist and placed her cheek against my chest. I embraced her body in my arms.
Strangely, the fireflies reacted by moving around us like we were star actors of some kind of show. “Uh, guys, what are you doing?” I asked them.
Kaylee lifted her head from my chest and watched them fly around us. “Let them be,” she joked.
She turned her attention back to me, and gazed into my eyes. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I replied.
Still holding one another, we inched closer. I closed my eyes and felt her soft lips press against mine. My eyelids tightened firmer and quivered upon feeling a euphoric sensation that moved throughout my soul.
Life sometimes has its strange twists and turns. I was glad that we both took a chance on this one.
Hi Everyone,
I hope you enjoyed this romantic scene. To help me evoke my emotions, I listened to the songs “Sleepy Eyes” by Elohim & Whethan and “Stargazing” by Kygo ft. Justin Jesso while I was writing this, which I posted below. I found the picture shown above, of a boy and girl in a shallow pond in a field of grass at http://gde-fon.com/download/guy_girl_lake_water_night_fireflies/401727/1680×1050.
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Haiku Poem #82, 11/16/2017 –
( I dedicate this Haiku poem to my mom whose birthday is today, November 16, 2017. Since I was a little kid, my mom got me and my two younger sisters to try so many activities and experiences. Since I was a child I’ve been telling her my plans, like “Hey mom, hey mom, this the plan!!! As a middle-aged adult, I still do this, and she has the same answer, “Just try.” My mom is my greatest support. I love her so much!)
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Haiku Poem #81, 11/16/2017 –
(I dedicate this poem to my mom whose birthday is today, November 16, 2017. I learned how to be grateful for all the things in my life from her since I was a child. She would actually say that when I was a little kid.)
Positive practices every single day, every single hour, every single minute, and every single second is the only way.
If our soul is consistently filled with love, our mind will always be filled with love, and if our mind regularly has love, our actions will constantly deliver love to everyone . . everyone. Only then, will we understand enlightenment.
End the excuses. If we get mad for stupid reasons, we will get killed by our stupidity. No one can save us, but ourselves.
As for all the negative people – they can steal, scream, and hit. We’ll just transcend past them and their little messed up box while we enjoy the many good things in our lives and the universe.
If we all attain inner peace, our country and world will be at peace.
This song “Freedom” by Steve Angella and Pusha T. has the beat and sound of my writing.
Drafted some litigation strategy for a construction company for the past couple days. Here’s a picture of my lay-out in my office during the early morning of November 15, 2017.
– Haiku Poem #74, Jon Riki Karamatsu, November 4, 2017 –
(I’m pictured here in my office wearing a political campaign shirt of my mentor, former Hawaii Representative Jerry L. Chang and currently head of the government affairs division of the University of Hawaii at Hilo.)
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 