Where You Go Matters Less Than Who You Share the Time With
Several years ago, I came across an article introducing a wonderful place to enjoy a picnic while watching airplanes take off at Kagoshima Airport.
It said,
“On a sunny day, it’s the perfect hidden spot to bring your lunch, relax under the blue sky, and enjoy a picnic.”
I took those words quite literally—and went there with my own homemade lunch.
Even now, it remains one of my happiest memories.
After moving to Kagoshima, I discovered the simple joy of picnics.
I explored many places, both around Kagoshima and beyond.
In the end, however, I found that the greatest joy wasn’t in traveling far away.
It was discovering happiness close to home, within everyday life.
Travel had always meant stepping into somewhere extraordinary.
But turning an ordinary day into something special was a completely different experience.
At that time, I truly enjoyed living that way.
These days, life has become busier, and I don’t go on picnics as often.
Strangely, though, I don’t miss them very much.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve learned that an ordinary day can become extraordinary whenever I choose.
All it takes is wrapping a rice ball, slipping it into my pocket, and walking to a nearby park.
Where I live is quiet.
There are very few people around, so I never worry about what others might think.
Wherever my heart feels drawn—
that becomes my place for the day.
On a hot summer afternoon, I might stop beside a rice field filled with water because it looks so refreshing.
I sit down, enjoy my rice ball, watch dragonflies flutter nearby, and sometimes find myself humming songs I used to sing as a child.
Nothing remarkable happens.
Yet somehow, my heart feels completely content.
Those moments often bring back another memory.
When I was little, I used to ride my tricycle around the edge of a large sandbox.
Every time I completed a lap, my grandmother would reward me with one bite from our picnic lunch.
I pedaled as hard as I could, eager for the next bite.
Even now, a simple picnic can take me back to those precious days.
It isn’t luxury.
It isn’t convenience.
But to me, it is a treasure beyond measure.
Eventually, I came to realize something.
Where you go matters far less than who you share the time with.
Yet even a slightly squashed rice ball can feel like a wonderful meal when it is shared with someone who truly cares about you.
That simple realization inspired what would later become our Adult Excursions at Chiduru.
For us, they have never been about visiting famous places.
They are about sharing time with one another.
Even after eight years, I still believe that the most meaningful journeys are the ones we share with the people who matter most.
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