Kindness at the Edges of Words
There were several things that made me happy during my recent business trip to London. I want to write them down before I forget. It wasn't that anything surprising happened. I simply felt a gentle sentiment attached to the edges of words that would have otherwise flowed by unnoticed in ordinary conversation.
I was the only Japanese person attending the meeting. So, it might just be a difference in customs or how I interpret the nuances of my own poor English, but the words I encountered in London made me feel happy.
The first was that I brought some chocolate and snacks commonly sold in Japanese supermarkets, thinking people might eat them during breaks. At lunchtime in the office, when Paul's sandwiches and chips were served, I also put my snacks on the table. I brought KitKats in matcha and Amaou strawberry flavors, which are always popular with foreigners, as well as small bags of onigiri senbei and Aji-konomi crackers. Everyone was delighted, saying, 'Thank you! This is delicious!' and started eating. Just as I was feeling relieved, an American man from headquarters came up to me and whispered, 'It's so nice of you!' I didn't do anything special, but I felt like he was praising the act of choosing them while thinking of everyone, and I was grateful to him for noticing such a small thing and putting it into words.
The second was an incident on a night when three colleagues and I went to see the musical 'Les Misérables.' I always want to make it a special night when I see a musical, and I always want to dress up a little. Conscious of being in the UK, I wore the only long, crisp plaid skirt I had brought. While I was washing my hands in the restroom before the show started, a woman who had just come out of a stall said to me from behind, 'Wow, that's a really lovely skirt. It's so cute!' I'm not particularly fashionable, nor am I the type to stand out, being short. I was surprised because I rarely meet people in Japan who compliment me like that, but I couldn't help but smile and say 'Thank you!' to the woman who had complimented me without hesitation. It felt like my heart had lifted and turned pink.
And the third was something my Mexican colleague said while we were having breakfast together.
'Emily, thank you for always smiling. When I started working at this company 20 years ago and met you for the first time at a meeting in the US, you accepted me with a smile and talked to me. I was happy then, and I still love that you are always smiling now.'
She said that to me. It was an event from 20 years ago, and I hadn't done anything special for her. I think my colleagues at the company are all like that—no one has a grumpy attitude—so I think I treated everyone the same way. But the fact that she still holds that scene in her heart and was able to convey it to me in words now made me feel her kindness, and I was very happy to feel that I was accepted by her.
I realized once again that in Japan, people rarely express their feelings directly to each other. I wonder if I am able to put my own feelings into words properly. It was also interesting and pleasant when a somewhat funny British colleague would say 'Yes, my love!' or 'Yes, darling!' when I asked him for something. It was a business trip that naturally began and ended with hugs. The meetings were fruitful, and it became a happy business trip that blew away the fatigue of the 17-hour flight home.
Wait? Am I just 'love' starved? Is this the kind of state where I'd fall for a romance scam in an instant? Stay away, scammers! Knock on wood, knock on wood!!!!