Before the World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus a pandemic on March 11, 2020, I didn’t feel any inconvenience in living a normal life every day. However, now that self-quarantine has begun, most of us are unable to go out or work as much as we could do before. I think many people have realized that their daily lives, before the pandemic, was actually blessed in many ways.
How many things have to happen in the past for us to be here now? Indeed every moment in our lives and everything that happens to us is precious and a blessing. Whether or not you realize this point and think of your daily life as a blessing, this is a good time to realize all things are deeply interrelated. And we have to appreciate all the benefits of living together as a society.
A few weeks ago, I sent a Mother’s Day card to my mother in Japan from the U.S. I was surprised that it takes twice as long as usual to send international mail due to the Coronavirus pandemic. International mail is restricted because countries are locked down and international flights were dramatically decreased. I had never experienced such a situation before. I sent the card with my prayer that my card would be delivered safely to my mother in Japan.
After that, I was relieved when I learned that the card was safely delivered to my mother after a long process. For the first time, I knew that so many people were involved in the process of delivering a single message card from the U.S. to my mother in Japan. Moreover, people who delivered the card were in danger of being infected with the Coronavirus while on the job.
My mother was having uneasy days in anticipation of the spread of the Coronavirus and the economic crises predicted in the near future, but she was very pleased when she received a Mother’s Day card that brightened her day. Now, traveling to Japan is not possible and we do not know when we will be able to visit family. At least by sending a card to my mother I was able to feel close to her and show my gratitude. At the same time I was very grateful to the people who were involved in delivering the card to my mother because they helped me make her feel happy and better.
In Japanese, the word for “Thank you” is “Arigatou”. The origin of this word of appreciation comes from the word “Arigatashi”, and it is said that it was used when people offer gratitude to God when something impossible by human power was made possible.
“Thank you ” is used to express gratitude, but it is not a word we should use only in special times. Because it is impossible to create all conditions to live our normal everyday life. In fact, the house we live in, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, etc. means that we are supported by many people.
And now a days you might have taken for granted that you have someone around you. You have a family. You have people at work, you have friends and you are not living alone. Many people have been supporting your life.
These days there are so many things you cannot do like before. Going to school, work or meeting people you want to see. But it is time when we can realize how much our lives are supported by many people. And now it is a great opportunity to show our gratitude to them.