Who was saint Patrick? Nobody seems to care. All I see is green, and all I hear is cheers! Needless to say this isn't about some dead guy canonized by the church, nor is it about drinking, though that will take a roll in this episode. You see March 17th is not only a day to lose yourself in drink and swirls of green attire, it's also my mothers birthday, and today I was feeling a little glum, as both her and I are alone in a foreign country, feeling the weight of our lonely paths in this world.
Whats surprised me most about peoples reactions whenever they find out about my trip to Japan, is the almost universal response of, "but why?” Their faces held in confused expressions, as though I had just told them I was donating my body to science while still healthy, alive and well. Perhaps it is simply the side effects of a lifetime of advertising pushing them into entirely different directions where vacations are concerned. Or perhaps it is the extreme difficulty associated with traveling there due to the language barrier, and too the great expense.
It could just as well be that so few Americans interact with Japanese people in any meaningful way outside of their cuisine, largely because the Japanese people are very insular and will not even look you in the eyes as a matter of respect. On the ugly side of the spectrum it could easily be something as simple as jealousy, not everyone gets a vacation you know. It could even be racism. After all, Imperial Japan slaughtered half of Asia and attempted to take over the world along such notorious figures as Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. (Yes, Russia was an axis ally, before Hitler betrayed them.)
Regardless of the reasons, the next surprise came after people find out I'm going to be there for two months, at which point they repeat the same response, " but why?” at this point I'm convinced that all the reasons above are in play, but above them all is the simple difficulty of it.
There was once a time when astrology fell under the "woo woo" category for me, and the idea of deciding anything, especially anything important because of it was not only irresponsible but worse than gambling. At least with gambling you have a chance, right? Even so I found myself looking to the night sky as a youth, looking for permission, for a sign. One that would let me know that what I was about to do would result in good things, instead of bad ones.
