In just five short nights spent there, Nakadomari and her people have melted my heart and given me much to take away and into my life. The glorious sunsets make for a spectacle I wanted to see every day. In the short time at this place, I felt loved and included and embraced and was so well taken care of all I could think was I couldn't possibly deserve all this. The rhythm of the place and the lifestyles of its citizens have inspired me and enriched me and relaxed me. Often, with very little or no language in common, communication took place with nothing more than smiles and laughter and sheer desire and eagerness to share.
I've since come to learn other things about my Yamauchi Inn, my base I came to love while I was there. Jeff and Jenny, my friends who recommended it, have shared with me that what I thought was not a sink, is actually a tiny little sink. Also, there is a water temperature control panel outside the bathroom door and I could have had hot water if I'd needed it. The Japanese put it there so guests can ask for hot water when they need it and the water doesn't have to be constantly heating itself when it's not needed. This seems so typical of the practical and frugal Japanese people and makes all the sense in the world. It turns out, I didn't need hot water at all, though.
This trip is showing me so much. There are things I thought I need that I haven't needed at all. And things I thought I had to have that I haven't had to have at all. The most valuable thing I have with me on this trip, the thing I could not afford to be without, the thing I'd be most frightened to not have, is the love and support of my family and friends and God and the knowledge in my heart that they are right here with me every step of the way.
So I was wrong when I wrote at the very beginning of this blog, months before I flew out of Atlanta, that I'd be traveling alone, all by myself. Because I'm not. And I never will be.
Comments
A very sweet message, Robin--you are never truly alone anywhere!
But we wish we could be there in person!
~Jeff (and Jenny)