A rolling stone gathers no moss.
To the Japanese, this had two meanings, a positive and a negative. Of course, the yin and yang, the light and dark, the two sides of the coin.
First, a person who moves from place to place, never has to build attachments that weigh them down, and they have a free spirit, putting down their roots wherever the wind takes them.
The second is that people who stop moving and put their roots in somewhere, can build those attachments, of love, friends, routine and familiarization and live a content life this way.
So it's all about perspective, like everything in life. What's my perspective? Well actually that's what I'm still trying to figure out............
I've moved to a distant land, far far away. It's a land of magic. Everyday I wake up with genuine excitement, not knowing what I will see or experience that day. Japan is just full of surprises.
I love the Japanese's enthusiasm in what they do. Everybody who works, does so with the utter most passion, It doesn't matter what their job might be, they will do it with precision, concentration and cheerfulness. When they provide a service, they do so with Love and make it obvious they are grateful for providing that service to you, whether the person receiving is or not.
They appreciate whatever they have in their lives. If their house is small they will make the most out of the space that they have. Cook them food, and they will remember your kindness forever.
It's easy to put a smile on their face. Talk to a Japanese person and they will always smile about something.
Their mentality is inspirational. I haven't met anyone with split personalities, or mental illnesses. And they live for such a long time. They must be doing something right in their way of thinking, something I would like to learn from them.
But it seems they have two sides to their lives. While in public, their interaction with each other is zero. Sometimes on the trains, there could be 100 people in one carriage alone all squashed up, and it would be completely silent. Strangers will never talk to other strangers. In public they are very reserved. But then you will see a big advert on an outdoor TV of an anime, with crazy cartoons shouting and screaming, colorful and action-packed. The media that they make to entertain themselves seems to be completely the opposite of their public behavior. Not sure why that is yet. There are still many things I'm trying to understand.
But this country is the safest I've ever been in. You can walk down an empty alleyway at any time of the day or night, and no one will bother you. You can loose money, phone, whole bags, and you will always get it back somehow. But they have the death penalty here. They are completely OK with the idea with killing another human being if they are bad enough to be killed. Which is not part of my thinking at all.
When it snowed, I saw people coming out of their houses in the middle of the snow storm with a shovel, removing the snow from the roads. I thought it was to clear their own driveway for their cars, but later realized after I asked someone that they do it only for other people to be able to walk down those roads. They seem to live with love of the service of others. And it's such a beautiful thing to realize, that their are people, well a whole nation that still have this mentality in this crazy world that we live in.
Their love for nature is also admirable. They look after all trees, plants and even though their idea of keeping pets is a bit askew, also animals too. Even though I live in one of the most metropolitan cities in the world, with the amount of parks and wildlife reserves they have here, I still feel so close to nature. Even the sitting and sleeping on the floor makes me feel closer to the Earth. Also the uncontrollable nature, like snow storms out of nowhere, earthquakes that wake me up in my sleep.....it's removed my fear of these things, and instead I'm just in awe at the uncontrollable forces that happen right in front of me. It's also a great reminder that sometimes in life, we are just not in control of everything that happens.
I am though, 100% lost in translation. From travelling to the right destination, shopping in the supermarket, receiving bills and important post, are somethings ten times harder then they have ever been before for me. 3 Alphabets and a language far different from anything I've ever tried to speak. Even after learning how to read 2 of the alphabets, my vocabulary is not extensive enough to even understand what I'm reading, And with many ways to write one word that has many different meanings..... well it will be a long old journey to mastering Japanese. But teaching English over here, I've never felt so rewarded. Sometimes I leave my work, not tired, but uplifted, with a smile on my face all the way on my journey home. It's the exchange of teaching one thing and learning another, be it language or anything else, it feels so good that I never want to stop doing it.........
................... Even with these feelings of adventure and excitement for living, everyday I am reminded that I have in fact, embarked on a journey that has taken me physically away from everything I love, everything I'm familiar with, everything I've ever known and everything positive I've built in other lands. I've chosen to live life as that rolling stone that never gathers any moss.
And within me right now, behind the eyes that are the window to my soul, there lives a tiny obstacle of Fear. Fear of others peoples memories of me fading away into darkness.....Fear of peoples promises to me being broken and not being implemented, Fear that I am unable to do anything to help the ones I love while not being physically present, and Fear that I may be unable to communicate that no matter how far I am from them, the people that I left behind mean and will always mean so so much to me.
But one message I received today, telling me that the positive things I taught to others were being still being implemented, growing and changing peoples lives, removed that obstacle, that Fear for a small while, and it was enough time to make an important realization. I may be a rolling stone, but while I've rolled around, I've left an imprint of Love on the ground, And because this imprint was made with Love, it's permanently engraved. Forever. Memories, promises, Fear itself may not last forever, but the EFFECT that I had from the actions I made with love in the past will live on - infinitely.
Just like the most influential musicians, artists, scientists and leaders, even if they have passed away, they acted only with Love, and their teachings will forever be in the minds of the people on this Earth.
So until it's my time to start gathering moss and putting down some roots, I guess I'll keep rolling on....
