YOU's "My Awakening": Why the Smallest Realizations Matter Most
Everyone has their own moment of awakening. In this series, Asupresso explores the infinite potential contained within those moments. Each installment invites a special guest to reflect freely on the experiences and thoughts that shaped their personal awakenings.
This time, we are honored to feature YOU, whose career spans television, modeling, acting, songwriting, and essay writing.
YOU (TV Personality, Actor)
Born in Koganei, Tokyo. Discovered in Harajuku, she began her career as a model before gaining fame as the lead vocalist of the band FAIRCHILD in 1988. Since the 1990s, she has become a familiar presence in Japanese media, appearing in television programs, films, and stage productions, while also establishing herself as a widely read essayist.
When Awareness Becomes Awakening
The word awakening brings to mind many images, including moments of realization, meaningful encounters, and quiet turning points that gently redirect the course of our lives.
At my age, I feel I have experienced countless such milestones. None of these moments happened entirely on my own. They were all made possible by others, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude for that. The person I am today is the accumulation of those experiences. Even speaking about them feels a little presumptuous, as though I am borrowing words that were never truly mine.
And yet, I often think that maybe that is okay for someone like me. I am surrounded by people of remarkable ability. Some are natural geniuses, while others have built themselves through tireless effort.
Watching them up close has taught me one thing very clearly. I do not possess the same kind of charm, strength, or talent. Precisely because I understand that, I am able to admire and respect them wholeheartedly.
Even in a simple "Wow!" lies a seed of insight. It holds both respect for others and the understanding that blindly imitating them would only lead me astray. I take that observation, hold it quietly within myself, and reshape it into something I can apply in my own way.
When that process takes root, it brings me an indescribable sense of happiness. Moments of clarity drift gently through our everyday lives. What matters, I believe, is whether we notice them and allow them to grow into something deeper.
Two Opposing Awakenings on an Airplane
Not long ago, I was on a plane struggling to fit my bag into a crowded overhead compartment. I hesitated and glanced around, unsure of what to do.
Just as I was about to place it farther away, a nearby passenger quietly stood up. With a soft sound, he took down one of his own bags and tucked it beside his seat to make room for mine. In that brief pause, which was barely even a bow, I managed to say thank you.
It was lovely. That kind of consideration felt subtle and effortless, and to me it represented the highest form of elegance. Honestly, it was deeply charming. Had his wife not been sitting beside him, I might have fallen in love. It was a moment of pure emotional uplift.
After we landed, I made a point of taking down both of their bags and handing them over. Almost immediately, I worried that I looked too deliberate, as if I were performing kindness. I wished I could take it back and do it over more naturally.
There, I encountered two distinct realizations. One was a recognition of the stranger’s quiet refinement. The other was an uncomfortable noticing of how clumsy my own response felt by comparison.
One became a lesson in what genuine thoughtfulness looks like. The other became a reminder to act with greater ease and mindfulness. These two opposing perspectives emerged from a single, ordinary flight. Since life offers no rehearsals, I have decided to let that person’s refinement stay with me until I can put it to good use myself.
Awakening as Self Affirmation
I do not believe inner growth arrives in a sudden flash. Without the readiness to notice them, small observations simply pass us by. That is why I have come to cherish those fleeting perceptions whenever they appear.
When a thought is gently nurtured and allowed to settle, it takes root within us as an awakening. If you feel such a moment today, it may be the result of many small realizations quietly connecting over time. I am not particularly sharp, so I have learned to value the act of noticing first.
What we notice is not always pleasant. Some realizations arrive uninvited and even painfully. Still, they too can be transformed. Much like raw ingredients becoming a finished dish, once we acknowledge what we have seen, we gain the power to reshape it. Recognizing a careless mistake gives us the chance to reflect and make amends. When that happens, the experience becomes something we can carry forward.
Perhaps that is why these turning points bring such deep happiness. They feel like gaining a new part of oneself, something that can be accepted and affirmed.
In a world that moves ever faster, we are constantly pushed to update ourselves. Even so, imperfect as I am, I hope to continue living in a way that allows me to discover who I wish to become, one new discovery at a time. Writing this has reminded me of that once again.
