Ichigo Ichie – In the moment

"Aane?waala?pal?jaane?waala?hai..."??crooned Kishore Kumar to Gulzar's meaningful lyrics in the 1979 hit Hindi comedy movie Golmaal.?The opening lines of this melodious song say "the moment that is to arrive is about to pass by; try to live your life within this moment".?Listen to this melodious song?here .

The essence of this song is captured in the Japanese phrase?Ichigo?ichie.?Ichigo?ichie?can be loosely translated as "in this moment is an opportunity".??What this means to tell us is that each encounter, everything that we experience in the here and now, is a unique treasure that will never be repeated in the same way again. So, if we let it slip away without enjoying it, this moment will be lost forever.?

William Wordsworth immortalized the concept of Ichigo?ichie?in his poem ''Daffodils"

For oft, when on my couch I lie in vacant or in pensive mood,? They flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.?

We all have experienced the relativity of time. When we are having fun and enjoying ourselves, time seems to pass by very quickly.?In contrast, when we are bored or feel stuck in any situation, time seems to be moving very slowly.?Next time you are having fun, remind yourself of Ichigo?ichie,?and you will be able to imprint the positive emotions, the joy of the experience in your memory.?

All this sounds interesting, but how practical is the concept of Ichigo?ichie?in our daily life? Is it something that is only relevant to special events or celebrations, like reminiscing while flipping through the pages of a wedding album??In the daily mundane of our regular chores, how easy is it to live the Ichigo?ichie?way??

The Ichigo?ichie?way takes some conscious effort in the beginning, but almost becomes a habit with regular practice.?Living in the moment can be something very simple like the pleasure of snuggling under the bedcovers for an extra five minutes after the morning alarm has gone off, or a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning, or wrapping your child in a warm embrace.?Embedding Ichigo?ichie?in such a moment just means holding on to that pleasurable feeling, and filing it away in some corner of your mind.???

By consciously living in the moment every day, and treasuring little pleasures, you can build up your personal treasure trove of happy moments that you can dip into at any other time, to regain the same feeling.?And as is well known, when you feel happy inside, you spread a pandemic of positivity around you, thus creating an unending cycle of positivity and happiness.?

Be a discerning collector of moments

Practicing Ichigo?ichie?is about becoming selective about what feelings to treasure and what not to.??It's?about reminding yourself that difficult times are momentary, and tough times don’t last.?Let go of bad memories and look at them as learning experiences to make your future better.?When stuck in a difficult place, close your eyes, open your mental treasure chest of positive memories, and relive those experiences – this is a guaranteed quick-fix to immediately refresh your heart and soul.?

A senior colleague, who I consider my mentor, once told me that every day before she goes to bed, she spends some time consciously recollecting the good experiences that she had during the whole day.?These could be as small as someone smiling at her on the road or a nice meal that she had. This, she said, fills her with a sense of gratefulness and positivity, which is the top-of-mind feeling that she wakes up with the next morning.?What a simple and amazing way to recharge yourself every day!?

Life is a series of experiences.?Very often, we live in the past thinking about what might have been or waste our present, worrying about what will be in future. In this tussle between the past and the future, we forget that the today is what determines our tomorrow.?Our choices determine our consequences and each choice opens up a different pathway.???

By embodying the spirit of Ichigo?ichie, we can cherish every moment and live it to the fullest, thus consciously moulding our future in the direction of our making.?