Natsukashii

なつかしさ

Lonely bench

My workshop assignment this week is about natsukashii. Hmmm…a Japanese word that does not directly translate to English. (I’m finding that is not uncommon.) George Nobechi tells us the word comes from Natsuku (懐), to become used to or fond of. Hmmm, again. Not nostalgia, but sort of. He explained something is natsukashii when seeing that thing brings you a warm feeling of comfort or a fond memory. Not a specific, "I remember when” kind of memory but the kind of memory you have when you smell bacon in the morning and think of your family sitting down for weekend breakfast. Or the smell of the campfire at night when you’re roasting marshmallows. A more generic memory which is sparked by the visual memory of a smell or a sound or some other sensory input. A memory is comforting.

I went out yesterday to Maymont. I wasn’t looking or searching for this feeling, just letting the environment speak to me about things that made me feel…comfortable. These three images found my sensor.

I’m particular to benches…I love sitting in them, I love to sit with others and look out over the world. I always wonder about who else sat on them and what they were thinking. Benches.

Couple in the Shade

And who hasn’t laid in the grass in the shade of a tree on a gorgeous summer day? I have those memories, not necessarily of a specific instance, but just the idea and general memory of doing stuff like this. Makes me smile.

Picnic

Picnics! Family picnics, small circles of comfort food, comfort conversation, and family.