A few years ago, my wife and I made a rather unexpected change in our lives. We left our home in Shiga and moved to the mountains of Ehime, where we began working on a dairy farm. I've written about some of that experience in earlier Cafetalk columns. At the time, it seemed like an exciting adventure, an opportunity to try something completely different together and experience a way of life far removed from our previous routines. What we hadn't fully appreciated was just how challenging it would be.

The physical demands were considerable. At one point, we worked twelve-hour days for four months without a single day off. Among my many duties was digging grass out of a pit and loading it into a small kei truck, three times a day. By the end of each day, we were exhausted. I remember one evening both of us falling asleep while eating dinner. There was also a great deal to learn. Milking cows, for example, requires concentration, patience and constant attention. Cows are generally lovely animals, but they are also large, powerful and easily frightened. I was kicked in the knee and face on separate occasions, and had my foot stood on twice. Some of those injuries still affect me today.

But perhaps the greatest challenge wasn't physical. It was emotional. We became very attached to the animals, and seeing some of the things that happened on the farm was deeply upsetting. There were experiences we found difficult to come to terms with, including the loss of animals we had grown fond of. Eventually, we reached a point where we knew we needed to leave.

When we returned to Shiga, we came back to somewhere familiar: the area around Lake Biwa, where we had lived once before and had always found a particular sense of peace and tranquillity. We needed time to recover. Our bodies gradually healed, although some of the effects remain. More importantly, I think, we slowly began to feel more like ourselves again. The mental and emotional exhaustion began to lift, and the sense of peace we had been looking for gradually returned.

Looking back, the experience taught me several things. First, I developed a much greater appreciation of how important our physical, mental and emotional well-being really is. We tend to take these things for granted when life is going well, but we become much more aware of them when they are under pressure. I also came to appreciate the value of some of the practices I had followed for many years. Yoga, breathing exercises and meditation can sometimes seem like small luxuries, particularly when there are so many other demands on our time. But I realised that they had given me something valuable: ways of looking after myself and dealing with difficult periods in life. Perhaps I hadn't fully appreciated their importance until I really needed them. Finally, I realised how fortunate I was to have gone through the experience with my wife. We supported each other throughout, and I honestly can't imagine how I would have managed had I faced it alone.

I wouldn't say I've gotten over everything that happened on the farm. Some experiences are simply painful, and I don't think we need to find a positive explanation for all of them. But I did learn something about recovery. It doesn't always happen quickly, and it isn't necessarily a straightforward process. Sometimes we need to step away, give ourselves time and allow things to settle. We may not return to quite the same place we were before, but gradually, we find our feet again. And perhaps that's one of the most valuable things I learned: we heal, sometimes more slowly than we'd like, but we heal.

Vocabulary & Key Expressions

• far removed from (phrase)
  Meaning: Very different from, or having no connection to something.
  Example: Working on a mountain farm was a lifestyle far removed from our quiet routine in Shiga.
• come to terms with (idiom)
  Meaning: To gradually accept a difficult or painful situation.
  Example: It took us several months to come to terms with everything we experienced on the farm.
• tranquillity (noun)
  Meaning: The quality or state of being peaceful, calm, and quiet.
  Example: Walking along the shore of Lake Biwa always brings a welcome sense of tranquillity.
• take (something) for granted (idiom)
  Meaning: To fail to appreciate something because you are so used to having it.
  Example: We often take good health for granted until we face a difficult physical challenge.
• straightforward (adjective)
  Meaning: Uncomplicated, direct, and easy to understand or follow.
  Example: Recovering from exhaustion is rarely a straightforward process; it takes patience.
• find your feet (idiom)
  Meaning: To become comfortable, confident, and familiar with a situation again after a big change.
  Example: After resting for a few weeks back home, we slowly began to find our feet again.