[Polar Bear Cup] I am participating with a tanka.

I will participate with one poem.

The "color of thoughts" refers to deep crimson.
It also means what one is thinking in their heart,
or the state of being in love and longing for someone.

Snow is white and beautiful.

When I gaze at the falling snow,
it feels as if the noise and distracting thoughts in my heart are absorbed,
leaving me with a clean slate.

With a clean slate,
I sometimes notice things.

Would it have been better not to notice?

No.
I am glad I noticed.
Because I encountered the feeling of being cherished once again.

There are encounters that make your heart leap,
and encounters that stir up the darker parts of yourself.

Even so,
one by one,
if you overcome them and change your perspective,
you can find everything to be precious.

You too. And me too.

Everyone is a precious existence just by being alive.

This time, I used "color of thoughts" to mean what I am thinking in my heart, but if it were deep crimson, it would be a bit of a horror story... haha

Well, that would be fine too, though.

This happened last week,
but I caught a trendy illness and was bedridden.

I had already finished the tanka,
but I was thinking I might not be able to post it.

I am glad I managed to post it somehow.

I am someone who has never even had the flu.
It was my first time experiencing a fever and aching joints all over my body.

It hurts, it's tough, it's painful.

While I was trying to stay positive in bed, feeling grateful for my daily health so as not to be swallowed up by these feelings (thinking of it as a form of training, haha),
I suddenly wondered why my body was hurting and decided to look it up.

Then,
I found out that my body hurts because my immune cells are working.

Once I knew that, I could endure it, haha.
I thought, my body is really working hard for me.

It was an important event that made me feel affection for my own body.

If it were before, I probably would have been dragged down by the painful feelings, and I wouldn't have wondered why my body was hurting or looked it up.

Being able to live without pain in my body,
being able to walk without difficulty—these things aren't to be taken for granted.

I knew that, but
I was reminded of it once again.

Grateful that I can spend today,
another day, with a smile.

It's getting colder, so
let's stay warm.

☆ The Polar Bear Cup runs until January 25th.

*Thank you for reading until the end*

That is all from Rei Maruya.