Great Laughter from a Carrot-Bicycle Dash After a Frustrating Shrine Visit (A Test from Above)

It was about 15 years ago, but this is an experience I had when I visited
a shrine I love dearly. This too

That day happened to be an autumn festival🎉
A stage🎤 for an enka singer was set up in the spacious shrine grounds,
and it was bustling with various events.
Laughter and chatter😁 could be heard, along with loud announcements
blaring from the speakers📢
It was a fun atmosphere, but from the moment I arrived, I felt it was noisy.

When I requested a prayer,
I was told it would start after the variety show ended,
so I was a little relieved that the prayer would begin once it was quiet, but...
A raffle event started right after that😮

Could it be? Is the prayer going to start while it's still this noisy?🤔

And that is exactly what happened😩

It's so noisy...🥵 I can't hear the Shinto prayers...😵
People outside the prayer hall were saying things like, "How do you do this? 😵 What is this?"
They were talking in loud voices to compete with the sound from the speakers.
When they noticed the sound of the drum played before and after the prayer, they asked, "What? What?"
I was surprised when they opened the door and walked in, talking without lowering their voices,
and cut right between the priest and me.
Even though it's usually a quiet and wonderful shrine...
🤬🤬How can people be so lacking in manners?🤬🤬

Calm down, me. These people just don't realize
that there is someone here making a serious request.
Feeling this frustrated must surely meanI am being testedThinking things like, "Everyone is having fun at the festival, so isn't that fine?"
I found various reasons to calm down,
focused my energy on my tanden,
and managed to finish by chanting the barely audible prayers in my heart, but
I couldn't even hear the priest's words after the ceremony.

But well, it's fine😉😌 I can just come back again🚗
As I settled my heart, thinking that these things happen sometimes,
and was walking back to my car...

🚲Ring-ring🚲 I heard the sound of a bicycle bell.
I turned around thinking, "Why are you ringing a bell on such a wide path?"
and saw a plump lady with a huge smile on her face, riding a bicycle
with a front basket overflowing with vibrant orange carrots, dashing toward me at full speed😮🚲
Since I was the only one around, our eyes met as I turned,
and she passed by, happily saying to me,
"I won so many carrots! Then I ran out of time!"

Just as I was in the middle of thinking,
"I can't hear the prayers😠 I can't hear the talk😠 It's so noisy😡"
this lady was at maximum excitement because she had won
so many carrots... Hmm... As that crossed my mind,
I immediately said, "Carrots!😁 Congratulations!" (She probably didn't hear me🙉)
The lady, already showing me her back, waved her hand and rode off dashingly.

For the first time today, the frustration in my heart vanished, and I smiled.
It's funny, isn't it?😉😉😉

Then...

"Oh, oh, it's finally calmed down. Enjoy the festival, that's all that matters.👼"

As I suspected, I had been watched the whole time.
Receiving a message from God at the very end,
it was a shrine visit where I found myself ridiculous for being so dead serious and frustrated.

In the process of growth,
there are various tests from God.
Frustration is also a necessary experience.
It happened quite a while ago,
but I was taught the importance of staying calm no matter what happens.

💐💐Thank you for reading this far💐💐
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Shiawase Salon Kokoro Rie