Mizuki -The Dogwood Son

I idolized my father. He excelled at the skills I wanted to be naturally gifted at and wasn't. He noticed I asked for repeats of words and sentences often when I was a toddler. He noticed that my eyes wandered quickly from a person's face to the next, most fascinating artifact nearby. I was not good at being present, focusing, or listening. So he taught me the value of meditation.

"I was only 5, so he promised to bring me a lychee Calpis drink if I sat with him 5 minutes being still and silent. If I made it an entire week without missing meditation, I would get a small toy. A month meant going to the movies or to a restaurant of my choice."

I failed often, at first. Within 1-2 minutes, I was wriggling, humming, looking around for something to do. But when I made it through my first week without missing a day, and I earned an orange, toy Lotus Emira sports car - I didn't need much oversight after that. My father would find me in the tent I made out of couch pillows and blankets in the corner of the living room earning my next toy car for my collection.

After several years, I don't feel centered or grounded without my morning meditation. I've learned it best after my pilates, cardio, or strength training workout - having showered and complete morning responsibilities before I sit down and become connected with the universe - a universe that speaks to me and feels so alive. It amazes me that most people don't meditate.

He taught me discipline, hard work, and - most importantly - never giving up on a goal. Once I made one for myself, he never let me give up on any of them until they'd been achieved. I learned the hard way not to choose overly ambitious ideas.

He traveled often, but would be home for months at a time, sometimes a year or two. My father always brought me something from his overseas travels, knowing I loved all kinds of cultural trinkets.

He taught me how to defend myself, but I often misused those techniques to start fights. I always hated earning his disapproval, but my temper just never could hold out long enough to think about how disappointed he'd be when he found out.