Arigato, Mrs. Meyer

My knowledge of Japan is limited to Madama Butterfly (the opera), M. Butterfly (the movie with Jeremy Irons), The Mikado (in a category of its own), peace cranes, anime, and Mrs. Chamberlain. Mrs. Chamberlain was an elderly neighbor in Manhattan Beach, California. She had moved from rural Georgia with her husband just before WWII. When he was killed in Italy, she decided to stay in her small cottage and at that time became obsessed with Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet." She enjoyed talking theory and explained that we gravitate to places or have a yen to go somewhere because we are remembering a past life. Her place was Japan. She "went" there every night and warned if I came over any time and found her asleep, or maybe even dead, I was not to disturb her as she would be out of her body and in Japan. I said I had a yen for the British Isles and Scandinavia but I didn't think reincarnation was the motivator. I thought it was on account of growing up in tropical paradises while longing for weather with some backbone. Currently, I am reading a book by Carolyn Meyer, A Voice from Japan--An Outsider Looks In, which covers a month she spent researching. I have been very surprised by most of the facts. I had no idea. For instance: children must pack a different colored napkin in their lunches. Monday, pink; Tuesday, blue; Wednesday, green. Perhaps times have changed as this was written in 1988 but I have a feeling even so, youngsters will, when approaching middle age, instinctively look for blue on Tuesdays. Carolyn must have been reincarnated all over the place since she has written about Russia, Egypt, France, Alaska, India, and the Rio Grande. As fascinated as I am to be learning about Fukuoke and Utsunomiya, I am really eager to proceed to the next book on my list of hers, A Voice from Northern Ireland--Growing Up in a Troubled Land. I am looking forward to mystery story fogs and tall rain boots. It won't be as long as Kristin Lavransdatter but then, nothing is. I'll let others discuss past life regressions and whether I might have been a dairy maid in Thomas Hardy country or a spiritual singing slave at Monticello. I belong to the "One Life to Live" crowd, gorging on tales from far off lands and future times, enjoying the serendipitous gifts along the way. Personally, I think if I were anybody, I must have been a tree dweller, stitching together some aspen leaves to fashion a volume of poetry, marking the days with pine twigs in order to meet Tuesday deadlines, and leaping down to make angels in the snow.

...may the blessings of cultural differences engage and enhance your days...