Ganbaru

Ganbaru (頑張る, lit. 'stand firm'), also romanized as gambaru, is a ubiquitous Japanese word which roughly means to slog on tenaciously through tough times. 

 

A man who is trying to set up a workshop with me keeps signing his letters “Ganbaru,” so I finally decided to look up what it meant. And found the above. I like the image of “stand firm” and I’m all for moving “tenaciously through tough times” (though don’t love the verb “slog” here). I would add to all of the above W. H. Auden’s “Stagger forth rejoicing.”

 

Because far away from the onslaught of the news, I indeed am rejoicing and taking each group of 50 Brazilians along for the ride. Today was a one-day workshop in Brasilia, with an unusual 70% of the participants men. And yes, the energies of men and women are different and I appreciate them both in all percentages. And I also appreciated both the novelty and particular energy that that 70% presence gave the workshop. 

 

This was an unusual workshop because I wasn’t 100% sure what the day’s activities would be, but once it got going, each one released its particular form of rejoicing and led me effortlessly to the next chosen activity. Before doing my usual opening warm-up in a circle, I began with a spiral and then had the inspired idea of ending the day in the spiral as well, following my “teach like it’s music” dictum and having the end sing back to the beginning. With an Estonian lullaby that resonated powerfully in the acoustically live Church Basement and got the tears that accompany true rejoicing flowing. 

So my personal slant to Ganbaru is to “stand firm with tears and laughter," to go deeper into the things that matter, speak out more clearly against the things that don’t, refuse to be thrown to the ground while helping lift up those that are. 

 

A welcome day off tomorrow, hoping to explore this unusual city of Brasilia. To all of you lovely readers, Ganbaru!