Embracing the Unexpected
Photo essay with Musubi Academy
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Most of the time, it’s hard to openly share the pain we carry inside of us.
The quiet battles, the heartbreak, the heavy weight of these all.
From personal hardships and health challenges, to relationship crises, mental health struggles, financial difficulties, and the wider pressures of today’s polycrisis — our accumulated wounds often remain hidden, tucked away in silence, endured in solitude.
I am thankful to have been able to share some of my thoughts openly. Writing anchors me — as do tea, meditation, and quiet moments in nature.
Embracing the Unexpected is my newly published essay on tea, zen, and life, featured on Musubi Academy.
I am especially grateful to Laurens van Aarle (Founder, Creative Director & Editor) for this opportunity and for his sharp editorial eye, and to Joe Keating (Photographer) for a fun, unhurried photoshoot in my home and neighborhood.
Musubi Academy will soon run a 12-week online program, Shaping Our Lives: Living Wisdom from the Japanese Arts for Modern Life, and the registration is now open. The course begins on July 9 and explores the way of tea, ikebana, craft, and Aikido. Follow Musubi Academy on their website and Instagram for further insights.
Last year taught me to embrace the unexpected
Selected excerpts - on tea:
“Following a whirlwind year-end work trip to Dubai for a climate conference, I felt compelled to start the new year with a Japanese tea ceremony to rediscover rest. But just three days into the year, I was hospitalized with an unexpected diagnosis – my second chronic health condition in two years.”
“I cleared my calendar, canceling everything except my doctors’ visits. Somehow, I also kept the scheduled tea session with Dairik Amae.”
“And that first tea session with Dairik-san turned into subsequent lessons, piquing my continued curious interest into tea, meditation, nature, culture, spirituality – and what it truly means to be a human.”
Selected excerpts - on zen meditation:
“Zen is about rediscovering the truth again and again” – Toryo Ito, Zen Monk.
“In acceptance, one finds assurance. Like a wave rising and retreating, even in the darkest days of Winter, the quiet stirrings of change are beginning to take root. When Winter comes, Spring is not that far away.”
“And just like tea, Zen is not about the pursuit of perfection but a true awareness of our internal and external surroundings – an awareness of one’s state of mind in the present moment. And it is only through direct personal experience that Zen understanding can be reached, beyond the grasp of any languages or words.”
Selected excerpts - on life:
“But the crisis that I was faced with taught me that life is not always linear.”“It showed me a path where lasting change starts within.”
“Tea and meditation taught me not to be so quick to disregard the old but wise ways of the past. Japan’s philosophies from Shintoism (its native belief system), to Taoism and Zen (both rooted in Chinese culture) are deeply connected to nature.”
“Perhaps by reflecting on the past and rediscovering ancient wisdom, we can learn to strengthen our bond with others, with nature, and be good ancestors for future generations.”
So deeply resonant and beautiful. Thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you for sharing your experience of life and illness and slowing down, Peck. It is a very important topic and one I have written about in relation to work stress and recovery from severe burnout. Very well written! 🌱