In my sixties, I've begun to understand the words of Laozi a little—'The Tao never acts, yet nothing is left undone'—

It was early afternoon.

The roadside trees near the office swayed in the breeze, and the early summer sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves onto the sidewalk.

Having finished a light lunch, I started to reach for my smartphone as usual, but then I stopped.

Recently, I've changed how I spend my lunch break a little.

Just ten or fifteen minutes.

I just go outside and walk.

In the past, I often stayed at my desk after finishing lunch.

Looking at my smartphone.

Checking the news.

Checking social media.

That wasn't necessarily bad.

But before I knew it,

Rising prices.

Anxiety about the future.

Talk of politics.

Talk of the economy.

I was only looking at things like that.

Of course, reality is important.

It is better to know than not to know.

But when I spend even my short lunch break gathering nothing but anxiety, I feel a bit tired before the afternoon even begins.

So, I started going outside.

It's not a long distance, even if I call it walking.

Just enough to go around the company building once.

Even so, something strange happens.

I can see the sky.

I can feel the wind.

I notice the changes in the seasons.

The flowers in the flowerbed have changed.

The color of the leaves on the trees has deepened a little.

I notice things like that.

The problems at work haven't been solved.

My salary hasn't increased either.

My anxiety about old age hasn't disappeared.

Even so, my heart feels a little lighter.

Recently, I've been thinking about the reason for that.

And there is a phrase I remembered.

In Chapter 37 of Laozi's 'Tao Te Ching',

'The Tao never acts, yet nothing is left undone'

is a phrase that appears.

Generally speaking,

'The Tao is non-acting, yet there is nothing it does not accomplish'

is how it is often translated.

I remembered these words while walking during my lunch break.

When I was young, I didn't really understand the meaning of this phrase.

In work, there are deadlines.

Results are also expected.

If you don't hurry, you'll be left behind.

That is what I thought.

Of course, work is still important today.

Efficiency is likely necessary as well.

However, now that I am in my sixties, I feel something.

Aren't we perhaps rushing a little too much?

Nature does not hurry.

Cherry blossoms do not bloom in a rush.

Fresh green leaves do not hurry either.

Clouds do not hurry.

Yet, the seasons progress with certainty.

Perhaps life is somewhat similar.

Ten minutes of a lunch break won't change your life.

Just because I went for a walk doesn't mean I can suddenly become positive.

However, my perspective is widening a little.

Negative feelings are fading a little.

And the feeling of blaming myself is softening a little.

Lately, every time I go outside during my lunch break, I think about this.

Life is shorter than I thought.

Time, which felt like it would last forever when I was young, has passed surprisingly quickly when I look back on it.

The days that were fun.

The days that were painful.

The events that made me happy.

The events that were difficult.

Once they have passed, they all drift away in the same way.

That is perhaps why it is better not to be too attached to things.

Perhaps it is better not to be too caught up in things.

The wind blows past.

The clouds drift by.

The seasons turn.

None of them stop.

Life is likely the same.

There are days when things don't go well.

There are days when my spirits sink.

But that, too, will pass.

Happy days will also pass.

So, there is no need to get too caught up in the highs and lows; just walk through the present.

Laozi's words are not saying that you should do nothing.

You don't need to try too hard.

You don't need to go against nature.

You don't need to chase only the results.

That is what I feel he is telling me.

Ten minutes during my lunch break reminds me of such things.

Now that I am in my sixties, I think about this.

It is not only big decisions that change one's life.

Going outside for a little while during lunch.

Looking up at the sky.

Feeling the wind.

Listening to the rhythm of nature.

Perhaps such small shifts are what gradually lighten the heart.

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