Thinking Back to Kiranah Spice

Of all the temples and shrines I've visited in Kyoto I found the most Zen place at a vegetarian restaurant called Kiranah Spice. It's a simple restaurant that's run by just one woman. She's the waitress, the cook, the dishwasher, and the cashier. She seems happy. I can tell by the food. It was made with care and craft. She is the Artist in her restaurant and what she makes is Art. All by herself.

The woman must be happy to serve her customers. She has found something other than work. Maybe it’s her passion or calling to serve a delicious meal. For her, life is in a plate of vegetarian curry over rice, or a simple salad. To me, life is in the details. 

Now, I'm in Nara. A city just south of Kyoto. I think back to Kiranah Spice and I pose a question: Does doing what you want in life cause the illusion of money to fade and thus making you free?

Then I begin to question myself: What is my passion or calling so I can be free? After all these years I still don’t know. But I want to find out in my travels.

I am not all lost though. Here are some insights:

1. I want to have a light footprint on Earth. I don't want to use the Earth to consume its resources. At least not a lot. Therefore, jobs like oil drilling are not for me.
2. I don't want to do unnecessary work. Work that don't matter much to me. Work that seems ephemeral. (But isn't everything impermanent?)
3. I want to own few things. See #1. I want to live simply and travel light.
4. I want to have just enough money to do what I want. Not less and not more.
5. I want to experience the world, by traveling and by settling. I want to enjoy the mundane life with the same enthusiasm as traveling.
6. I'm more introverted. I enjoy writing, reading, photography, and thinking. I should follow the flow when it comes to my profession.

I hope I can find what I'm looking for on my journey in the Asia Pacific. If not, then that's OK, too. I want to let things happen. That's the best part of traveling.