KOMOREBI 木漏れ日: The Light Between the Shadows…

KOMOREBI 木漏れ日: The Light Between the Shadows…

I'm blessed that I get to bring my dog, Choco, with me to my office. As we enjoy our regular walks around the neighborhood, I intentionally pause to enjoy how beautiful the sunlight is as it dapples through the myriad of trees. Choco, very often, must tug at me to continue our journey, but my feelings linger on those brief moments of joy, warmth, and hope as the sunlight briefly dances around us.

It was the same feeling I first experienced as a young Boy Scout hiking in the Cascade Mountains. Walking through the forest, occasional bright beams of sunlight would pierce through the dense canopy, projecting beautiful shafts of light onto the forest floor. I felt awestruck admiring this sight along with the lively sounds of nature.

This ephemeral feeling is Komorebi (pronounced koh-mo-reh-bee), a Japanese word that describes the feeling of joy you experience as you witness the sunlight piercing through the trees. It is made up of the Japanese kanji characters for tree (木), shine through (漏れ), and sun (日). Sadly, no English word exists that captures the essence of this feeling, and maybe we would be better off if we had one.