People, Exercise, Home, Universe

Recently, I received this amazing tote bag:

It has the words “People, Exercise, Home, Universe” on it … screen-printed in a soft gray.

This was a gift from “pehu,” a group of creative people in Osaka, Japan … where I did a residency back in 2019.

The bag came about because they invited people to come up with meanings / mottos for their name, “pehu,” which is just a string of nonsensical characters. (In Japanese, it’s ∧° ┐ which is also mostly nonsensical, but forms a nice sort of visual picture of perhaps a mountain with sun and a table.)

One day over the summer, I came up with “People, Exercise, Home, Universe” because it was a useful rubric for me … in the sense that I could try to follow it on a daily basis to have healthy balance in my life.

P = People ( hanging with friends, family )
E = Exercise ( physical activity with body )
H = Home ( cozy security & centering activities )
U = Universe ( zooming out )

So for example…

I would draw this 2×2 for every day over the summer and fill it in. Sometimes it would help me have a bit more of a healthy day if I realize one area is missing, for instance.

I hope this motto of PEHU helps anyone who needs it.