Tag: 4th of July

雰囲気 Fun’iki: Embracing the Japanese Concept of Catching the Vibes

We watched fireworks exploding in the skies far away. There is something special about standing on a beach in the dark and watching light come in unexpected bursts from far away. Is that how the creatures of the deep dark pockets of the ocean feel when their own or those of other organisms around them lights up their world with their bioluminescence? I wonder. 

Nevertheless, that night felt more surreal than usual. For it was replaced with tiny pulsing lights of drones. Hundreds of them forming and reforming into beautiful shapes – there a jellyfish, then a statue of liberty, and a whale. In spite of the beautiful shapes, I did miss the crackling sparkling sounds of the fireworks. The drones (far away as they were) were entirely silent, and lacked a certain ‘oooh—aaah’ factor as a result. (I could’ve stooped to pick up something and missed a jug or something. ) But the drones were more environmentally friendly, so …

The next day, we felt a slow start was essential – and so we meandered around an island neighborhood. 

“What do you want to do?” 

“Nothing much – just catch the vibes of the place, maybe?” said the immensely-cooler teenage daughter to her younger cousins and brother, who agreed fervently. I did not know what catch-the-vibes meant exactly, but nodded along. Vibes would reveal themselves. Vibes are like waves – you just have to experience them, I told myself. 

It turned out that stopping to admire art galleries, meandering through neighborhoods with picket fences overlooking the ocean, admiring gardens bursting with flowers, watching young adults laugh and make loud jokes, slurping ice creams before they melted – everything belonged to the category of “catching-the-vibes.”

Catching the vibes, I realized, is a fun activity that can include book shopping, picking up curious art from local art galleries, gasping at the prices of some art pieces, admiring gardens, and 4th of July decorations.

Why am I not surprised that the Japanese word for vibes contains fun?

雰囲気 Fun’iki

Fun’iki sounds like something we do all the time on trips, without the cool name of course. We resolved to add Fun’iki to our vocabulary and trips henceforth and meandered back home.

What are some of your favorite 4th of July week-end activities on trips?

Not Pristine, Prim, & Proper!

The week-end was marvelous. The 4th of July week-end usually is. Summer is in full swing which means long days, and flowers bursting forth everywhere. This time, it also meant waterfronts and beaches with the children in tow. 

One day, as we walked on the beach, playing with the little waves against our feet, stopping to pick a shell here, and a conch there, I reveled in the ordinary happiness that a simple day like that gives. 

beach_surfers

We saw teenage boys play spike ball for hours on end, little children squeal and run to and from the waves, sand castles being built, and surfers ride the waves again and again.

One child was picking up wet sand to return to the ocean, and squealed when the sand squirmed in his hands, and went running  back to his mother.

An inflatable giraffe that did not look happy out in the ocean. The ridiculousness of finding a giraffe bobbing in the waves was enough to get people to laugh.

beach_giraffe

I usually am not in favor of crowded beaches, but that day, it felt good. People watching felt lovely. 

The son and husband were covered in sand building their little sand castle with a moat around it, tunnels through them etc. I had taken several walks letting the waves splash around me, and the sea looked amazing. The day was not too hot, and the waters were not too cold. The beach was noisy, but not too loud. The people themselves were in various states of imperfection – In other words, it was perfect.

It all felt all the more special because I had an excellent book to read at the beach. The daughter had her trusted ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ trilogy with her. It was a bit dog-eared, but she looked at it fondly and said, “That is exactly how a beach book is supposed to be. Not pristine, prim and proper.” 

I threw my head back and laughed so hard at that. “That should be the theme of our day here, huh? Not pristine, prim and proper.”

beach_waves

As we made our way out of the beach, we looked like a good hosing down would do us all good. “But before that – some gelato!” said the husband, and we all hailed our hero as we made our way to the little gelato store with brilliant flavors and fantastic names for gelato explorers.

What are some of your favorite beach reads, and beach activities?