Synchronicity and the Five Yen Piece

I'm just a bit proud of myself.  After my rant yesterday about not having words to adequately express what I experienced in Japan over the past seven weeks, I have made a break through.  I have found suitable equivalents to two words that have played a key role to my time in Japan.

Synchronicity.  Call it what you will:  God's will, luck, fate, miracles, angel kisses, coincidence.  I believe in it.  It's real.  It exists.  Synchronicity is in the moments where logic defies reason.  Things happen that shouldn't.  There is beauty in this.  It's a most perfect combination of peace and fun. 

Go-en.  Or, more simply, en.  I'm allowing myself to translate this as synchronicity.  The more literal dictionary translation is luck.  It's far more complex though.  It's deeper than just plain luck.  Go-en is luck with a reason.  Go-en is fate as a gift.  It's meant to be a blessing to the receiver. 

I heard and used the words synchronicity and go-en repeatedly in Japan.  It's as if through the earthquake and tsunami and the catastrophic devastation they caused also bestowed the grace and gift of luck, fate, and coincidence to those who were willing to receive it.  Time after time things happened that shouldn't have.  Good things.  I have story after story of how this happened. 

I like the idea of being receptive to the unknown.  I like embracing the indescribable tidbits of fortune that I encountered.  I took every opportunity to use the words synchronicity and go-en.  The idea, meaning and definition behind these words make sense in both languages.  People get this.  Synchronicity and go-en make people smile.

The question inevitably comes up. 
"Do you know what go-en means?"  This is always asked with a grin, a raised eyebrow, and a sneaky look. 
"I do," I always replied and smiled.  I then dug into my backpack, pulled out my wallet and showed them the five yen piece I have stored away in a small and special compartment.
"See?"
"Good," was usually their answer, content I had the proper appreciation for fate by carrying around the one coin that symbolized, literally and figuratively, go-en.

Go-en also means "five yen" in Japanese.  It's a homonym for "luck" or in my case, synchronicity.  It's a good idea to carry around the coin that symbolizes synchronicity.  That I knew this and respected the language and meaning behind go-en means I passed this test.  That I carry around a special five yen piece is even better.

Synchronicity and go-en.  Synchronicity and the five yen piece.  These are now a few of my favorite things.

Self-deprecation and Divinity

I'm not sure what it is about being sick that makes people say and do strange things to me but today has been one of those days.  Remember:  I have an active imagination and pride myself in that.  Making up stories?  Not this time around.  What I write here is the straight-up truth.

I've been drinking hot water with lemon and honey all day.  It burns going down.  I tell myself this is a good thing.  There's no doctor here so I'm self-medicating.  It's all natural so I'm fine with it.  I'll let you know how if it's made any difference tomorrow.  But, I digress.  I stepped into the small kitchenette (five feet by six feet, I kid you not) to boil some water on the two-burner gas stove that I do believe I've seen used at camp sites.  In other words, it's not a stove-stove....if you know what I mean.

Lo and behold, Mrs. K., one of the local women who does the cooking in the evenings is already boiling water.  I ask if she'll fill up my giant mug as I cover my mouth with my arm and croak out the request.  She's shocked at how bad I sound and I say, "I'm fine, I'm fine.  It's just a cold."  Get this.  To this she replies, "I think of you as a god.  You're not supposed to get sick."

Whoa.  This is a problem.  I laugh (always a good way to deflect) and say that I am most definitely not a god, at which point a giant cough comes out from me.  I must say, the timing couldn't have been better.  "Gods don't get sick, right?" I say to her.

If I may switch gears here for a minute.  There's a rule ingrained in everyone who lives in Japan.  If you were born and raised here, this was drilled into you from a very early age.  If you come to Japan as a foreigner and you don't know this rule, you're out.  You make this mistake, you're so, so, so out.  The rule is "never take a compliment" which is defined by making sure anything good said to you is denied through self-deprecation.  What do I mean?  Anyone saying to me, "oh, you're Japanese is so good" is to hear the right response of "oh, no no no no no.  I'm still learning," or "I'm sorry you have to listen to such poor Japanese" or something equivalent.  "You're handsome" is to be met with "no, I'm not" and an explanation of why you're ugly.  I'm not kidding.

So, with this rule of self-deprecation hanging over me (which I don't mind--it's part of life here) now try applying it to "I think of you as a god."  This kicks up the self-deprecation requirement multiple times.  First, I'm clearly not a god.  Second, this is a huge compliment and I have to be careful how I turn down my so-called divinity.  Third, she's concerned about me.  I appreciate that.  I do, however, have to gently but firmly knock down any notion of amazingness (if that's a word) and let her know I'm really just me.  Yes, I appreciate the fact that she appreciates me.  At the end of the day, I want our mutual respect to be enough.  Don't make me into something I'm not, Mrs. K.  I can't handle the pressure.