{"id":2701,"date":"2015-12-30T18:20:39","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T09:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/?p=2701"},"modified":"2016-01-01T20:54:04","modified_gmt":"2016-01-01T11:54:04","slug":"december-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/30\/december-light\/","title":{"rendered":"December light"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_green_plant_light_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2703 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_green_plant_light_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_green_plant_light_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ah, that touch of light. Your eyes notice it, don&#8217;t they?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_light_tree_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2705 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_light_tree_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_light_tree_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The way\u00a0the sun\u00a0sneaks into the bamboo, the way it lights up a tree trunk, it gets your attention.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_pure_water_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2709 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_pure_water_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_pure_water_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Might even make you think that the water, the pure water, waiting for you at the entrance of the shrine, <em>is<\/em> pure.<\/p>\n<p>Probably you studied about this in college biology, but even if you&#8217;ve forgotten what you read&#8212;or\u00a0even if you\u00a0skipped those pages, you little devil&#8212;it shouldn&#8217;t matter, it&#8217;s pretty clear: the way we want to lean into this December light proves what close relatives we are to all that grows in the plant kingdom. Without a doubt, we exploded from the same &#8220;star.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_heart_of_light_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2704 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_heart_of_light_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_heart_of_light_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What are you going to do? You know, don&#8217;t you? You&#8217;re going to walk right smack into the heart of that light.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_yellow_leaf_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2710 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_yellow_leaf_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_yellow_leaf_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And when you do, the colors are there waiting for you.<\/p>\n<p>Oh how they delight!<a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_yellow_tree_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2711 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_yellow_tree_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_yellow_tree_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Slow down. Enjoy them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_susuki_450.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2712 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_susuki_450.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_susuki_450\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let the light warm you.<\/p>\n<p><em>If<\/em> you&#8217;re one of those who might be getting a bit out of your comfort zone with all this touchy-feely, mighty lighty talk . . .<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_fuji_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2702 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_fuji_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_fuji_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>. . . take a look behind you. You&#8217;re standing on as firm a ground as your buddy, Fuji-kun.<\/p>\n<p>And do me a favor. Please notice the <em>momiji <\/em>off to your left&#8212;or on your right, if you&#8217;re climbing (Yatsuyama) from Kiyomizu Park. And please, go ahead, wander off the path, step into the brush, stand under the trees. And . . .\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_susuki_450.jpg\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light2b_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2707 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light2b_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light2b_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>. . . just feel the light.<\/p>\n<p>Me, as I stood there, I remembered the lyrics from a song by that Shizuoka folk duo (I can <em>never<\/em> remember what they call themselves!):<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Lean into December light<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Not so dark as darkest night<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2706 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_momiji_light_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Lean into December light<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Maybe we&#8217;ll feel all&#8217;ll\u00a0be all right.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_fuji_600.jpg\">\u00a0<\/a>If you feel this light the way I do, you&#8217;ll still have your eyes up in the sky even when your down off the mountain. You&#8217;ll have your eyes up in the sky even as you walk the asphalt street.<\/p>\n<p>Persimmons left for the birds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_persimmon_sky_600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2708 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/151229_yatsuyama_persimmon_sky_600.jpg\" alt=\"151229_yatsuyama_persimmon_sky_600\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ah, that touch of light. Your eyes notice it, don&#8217;t they? The way\u00a0the sun\u00a0sneaks into the bamboo, the way it lights up a tree trunk, it gets your attention. Might even make you think that the water, the pure water, waiting for you at the entrance of the shrine, is pure. Probably you studied about &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/30\/december-light\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">December light<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2701"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2719,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701\/revisions\/2719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/persimmon-dreams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}