How to be happy: 'Leaving a Legacy'

The top image is a 'blueberry'.
Its flower language is 'a fruitful life'.

The way it forms small berries one by one,
even if not flashy,
teaches us the importance of accumulation.

That 'fruit' is
not something that ends only within oneself.
It is handed to someone else,
and only then does it gain meaning.

This time, let's think about 'leaving a legacy' and happiness.

'Leaving behind' (nokosu) and 'bequeathing' (nokosu) are slightly different.

In our daily lives,
we 'leave behind' many things.

Things we couldn't finish eating,
time we couldn't use up,
words we couldn't say.

However, the word 'bequeath' (遺す) carries
a bit more intention.

It is not just about what is left over,
but the act of trying to pass on
things we have cherished, along with that sense of value.

I feel there is a sense of responsibility there,
that 'I will not pass on anything trivial'.

It is not just about tangible things

What we bequeath is not just money or objects.

・Ways of thinking
・Habits
・How we treat others
・How we spend our days

In fact, intangible things
leave a longer-lasting influence.

For example, the memory of being treated kindly by someone
changes form within that person,
and is passed on to someone else.

That is something that is certainly
inherited as a 'fruit'.

The future is not 'what remains after we are done'

When we say 'leave behind',
we might have the impression of
passing on what is left over after we have used it.
However, 'bequeathing' is different.

The future is not

a storage place for things we have finished using.
It is about thinking how to treat the present

with the premise of passing it on to the future.
Your current choices

become the norm for the next person.
That is precisely why,


things treated carelesslywill be passed on in that same state,
and things treated with care
will be conveyed with that same warmth.

The awareness of 'improving it before passing it on'

Simply passing on what you received
is valuable enough.

But if you have a little room to spare,
try making it just a little better before passing it on.

・Tidying up what was messy
・Softening your words just a little
・Treating the ordinary with a little more care

Such small touches
change the comfort of the next person who receives it.

Just as blueberries ripen one by one,
that accumulation eventually becomes a rich 'harvest'.

Days that connect

Happiness that ends within yourself is, of course, important.

But happiness that connects to someone else's future
has a slightly different warmth.

Today's actions
might make someone's tomorrow a little easier.

If you spend your days with that perspective,
even the same events will look a little different.

Conclusion

'Bequeathing' is
not an act only for those who possess something special.
It is about taking what you currently cherish,

and passing it on as is, or slightly refined.
That is enough.

Just like bearing small fruit,

your days are already continuing on to someone else.
Try to be just a little conscious of that flow.

That should be
a step toward happiness that leads to a 'fruitful life'.

A book that sparked my thinking about 'bequeathing'

How Do You Live?

It is a book that asks
how your actions reach others
in the events of daily life.

What you choose and how you behave.
That accumulation eventually passes on to someone else.

It is a book that made me think
about the theme of 'bequeathing'.

I have also compiled other 'ways to be happy' flowers
at the link below.
Please take as much as you need 🍀

Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope to see you in another article.
🍀 May you be happy 🍀