Setsunai 切ない – Feeling Sorrow and Joy at the Same Time…

Setsunai 切ない - Feeling Sorrow and Joy at the Same Time...

On February 2, 2026, around 5:00 AM, our beloved fur baby, Choco Shimizu, peacefully passed away from our lives. He enjoyed a long and beautiful life of 16 years and 8 months. He was our first family pet and more than just a companion. He was also my first employee, accompanying me to my Shiatsu practice for many years. He served as my greeter, receptionist, security guard, and assistant shiatsu therapist—all wrapped up in a cute, brindle-colored bundle of love. He was a vital part of our lives, and we were his entire world. Now that he’s gone, I feel heartbroken. Yet, I also feel happy and grateful that his spirit is now free—free from pain and free from the confines of this mortal life. There’s a Japanese word for feeling both sorrow and joy at the same time: Setsunai (切ない).

Setsunai is the feeling that lingers when brightness fades into twilight: the tender ache at the edge of a memory and the fragile joy in knowing that nothing lasts forever. As much as I would have loved for Choco to live for the rest of my life, this was not his purpose. Choco’s most important purpose in his life was to be my teacher. His legacy and life were devoted to helping me remember, see, experience, and embrace life’s most sacred lesson: to love unconditionally.  

 Please click the link to read the entire Ki to Life article: 

Setsunai 切ない - Feeling Sorrow and Joy at the Same Time...