Happy Thought for 4 September, 2026

 

Have a Happy Thought:

I’ve been a bit inconsistent lately, so this week is a two-for one.

Part 1 – Nagori

One of the great things about learning about other cultures and languages can be finding a out about a word that doesn’t exist in your language, even though the concept resonates deeply. Many English speakers find this in German words (like schadenfreude). This week’s example comes out of Japan:

Nagori: appreciating the fleeting beauty of the passage of time; or savouring something that you know will soon be ending.

·      The first hit of colour in leaves that reminds you to relish those last lingering summer nights

·      The last night in an old house before moving to a new one

·      Gathering for a (family or friend-group) reunion photo

·      Looking back at your footprints toward the end of a particularly enjoyable walk

Here’s the nudge to make some time to appreciate a moment of nagori in your life.

Before the moment is gone.

 

Part 2 – the Great American Road Trip

Something that New Zealand and the United States of America have in common is small towns having big statues… for seemingly no other reason than whimsy (or maybe tourism. Civic pride? Yeah nah, it’s definitely whimsy.)

New Zealand has, for example:

·      A big carrot in Ohakune

·      A giant L&P bottle in Paeroa

·      Massive trout in Gore

·      Homer’s doughnut in Springfield

A photographer named John Margolies spent nearly thirty years documenting roadside “attractions” across the United States, and his entire collection has just been released into public domain – so you can take a virtual tour of Small Town AmericaTM wherever you have the internet.

Roadside America | Flickr

Here’s a taste:


Castle Amusement, candy house, Riverside, California

 

Christie's Restaurant sign, cowboy shrimp, Houston, Texas

World's largest buffalo (46' long, 26' high, 60 tons), Jamestown, North Dakota

Shell Gas, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Billboard, near Dillon, South Carolina; 1986.

 

There are 5,826 more photos to explore, on Flikr or all 11,710 in high-resolution at the Library of Congress, so don’t try to view them all in one sitting!

 

 

Thanks to @Stuck_Here on Mastodon for sharing the concept of Nagori.

Thanks to Public Domain Review for letting us know of the photographs of roadside America. John Margolies’ Photographs of Roadside America — The Public Domain Review

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