The Dream Realized by a Small Herb Garden and the Connections Made

One of my dreams has come true.

So, I am turning to note like this so that I do not forget this day.
I wanted to write it here, not in my usual diary.

1. Introduction

The dream that came true is "creating a herb garden."
Though, it is a very, very small herb garden.

I had been writing about that dream on note.
It was January 2024, a time when I was overwhelmed by work and struggling with caregiving.

Wanting to escape from reality, I poured my thoughts into this note under the title "Dreams I Want to Realize (2024)."

Thinking about it now, I feel embarrassed that I wrote something so bold... but today, I feel from the bottom of my heart that I am glad I wrote this note back then.

Because, as I wrote in this article,
I met people I can call friends and we were able to get healthy togetherbecause of it.
I was able to meet people who read this articlebecause of it.
And because I learned thatdreams do come true.

In this article, I wrote,
"To make my dreams come true, I must step away from a work-centered life."
I was very stubborn back then.

While I painted an ideal life in my head, I was convinced that "if I don't do my best, neither work nor caregiving will function," and I kept spinning my wheels alone.

As a result, my mind and body gradually broke down. And in the end, I had to step away from both work and caregiving to take a rest.

By changing to a life that prioritized rest, I had more time, and the dream of creating a herb garden should have been one step closer.

Yet, exhausted both mentally and physically, I did not set foot in the field for a long time, and I had completely forgotten about my dream.

Time kept passing, but for some reason, the lethargy continued...
Just as I began to feel impatient with that kind of life, I encountered an online community (FIRE Research Institute).
(Later, this encounter with the community would lead to the realization of my dream.)

2. Encounter with the Community

In this community, when you consult about what you want to do, they support you so that it can be realized. When I took the plunge and told the organizer that I "wanted to create a herb garden" during a casual chat, they offered to help me look for volunteers.

I thought, "There surely won't be anyone who would help reclaim a field in such a rural area, and an overgrown one at that."
But contrary to those feelings, people immediately raised their hands saying they wanted to try.

While half-doubting, I decided to hold a "Field Reclamation Meetup" to respond to the feelings of those who had raised their hands. Then, thinking about what I could do little by little, I proceeded with preparations such as making pamphlets and preparing matching gloves. As I did so, I began to feel a sense of gradually emerging from my lethargic state.

3. Connecting with Friends at the Field Reclamation Meetup

Now, the day of the first meetup finally arrived.
To my surprise, the forecast for that day was heavy snow.
While I hesitated about whether to cancel, three people from far away made the trip to the site.

In the end, just as predicted, it was a blizzard that day where you couldn't even see where you were walking.
Reclaiming the field was out of the question.
I had to cancel the work with tears in my eyes. Somehow, I went to the field with everyone, took a photo, and promised a rematch for the reclamation meetup.

Then, time passed, and spring arrived.
Finally, it was time for the rematch of the reclamation meetup.
Thankfully, the people who had raised their hands last time expressed their participation once again.

The day of the rematch meetup was cloudy. It was chilly with early spring temperatures, and there was a forecast that the weather would turn bad in the afternoon, but we managed to hold it.

Now, as for the state of the field, although I had mowed the grass in advance so that people could enter, it still felt like there was a long way to go before it could be used as a field to plant crops.

First, I decided to have everyone cut down a large tree. Considering the sunlight and the ease of working, I really wanted to have it cut down.

First, one person cut it little by little with a saw.
It was harder than expected, and we struggled.
Taking turns cutting, then switching and cutting again... we repeated this, with the four of us taking turns holding the saw and facing the large tree.

As we repeated the work, the four of us naturally became friends who helped each other.
It is hard to believe that just a few hours earlier, some of us were complete strangers.

Finally, the tree began to move, and just when it was about to fall,
we pushed the tree together, and it fell with a loud "crack."

At that moment, everyone's faces were filled with smiles at the joy of having accomplished one thing. Watching everyone, I felt truly happy, and that is not an exaggeration.

Until now, whenever I hit a wall with a problem, I would come to the field alone to tend to the herbs or pull weeds, calming my heart. The field was my emotional escape.

But I had always hoped in my heart that one day this place would not just be an escape, but a place where I could work happily with friends and where everyone could be healed.

That is why I was truly happy that the dream came true.
And at the same time, I felt a sense of relief, as if the tension in my shoulders had suddenly melted away, thinking, "I don't have to try so hard to do everything by myself."

It was like a dream to have friends who would till the field with me. We were of different genders and ages, but we were people I could be with to the point of forgetting that. These are friends I surely would never have met if I had continued living in my previous environment.

Once the clearing of the field was finished safely, we enjoyed a barbecue together, talked at a cafe, and spent time together while looking at the sea.

The events of that day were truly like a dream, and even now, I sometimes think, "Maybe that was a dream..." But there is definitely a field in the garden that we all made together. I decided to plant herb seedlings there and watch them grow.

4. The next dream that has come into view

The dream has just come true, but I can see my next dream.

It is to gather with everyone again, make tea and dishes with the herbs grown here, and enjoy them together. And I would like to express my gratitude once again.

The new dream might be more modest than the one I wrote about in the previous article.
But for me, spending time with important people is happiness now.

It was a field-clearing meetup that started from my own selfishness, but I like to think that the experience of moving our bodies and sweating together was a good time for everyone who participated.

Finally, to everyone who read this article.
Instead of keeping the dream you want to fulfill locked in your heart, thinking "dreams come true if you keep thinking about them," why not try to put it into words, talk to people about it, or take a small step?
A chance for your dream to come true might just come your way.

The end.
Thank you for joining me in my story.

5. Notice

The community I encountered, "#FIRE Research Institute," is a free community where people who have achieved FIRE and those who are aiming for it gather. If you are interested in FIRE, please take a look at the article. We also recruit members periodically (see the article for details).