Fortune Smiled

I continued to follow the path and it led me to another garden area. As I entered the garden, I was greeted by an older man dressed in a white robe. He bowed and led me to a seating area where he indicated I should sit with a wave of his hand.

As he sat, he said, "Welcome Peter. I'm sure that you have a lot of questions."

I laughed, "Well, this is a fairly mysterious place so yes I have a lot of questions. But first, I'd like to ask who are you and how or what does this temple do? And am I going crazy or did I really hear a voice speak to me"

He smiled, "My name is Iwamasa Itsuke. This temple has been in our family for many generations. We are charged with its care. My role is to be your guide for the next several days. The voice is of my grandmother." He chuckled, "she just can't let go."

"Your grandmother?"

"Yes, her spirit speaks out every once in a while. You are most fortunate to hear her. Many do not."

Now that was weird,

"Not so weird, Sekimura-san." The voice said.

"Did you hear that?" I asked

Iwamasa shook his head. But he chuckled. "Grandma must be chastising you for something that you thought. She can read people's minds."

Wow. That is freaky.

"No, not freaky. Not weird. It is what it is." The voice said again.

"She spoke to you again," Iwamasa asked?

I laughed, "Yeah, it's interestingly conversational and really, really strange."

"Ok, Obaachan, if you please?" Iwamasa asked.

And I then heard her sigh then her response, "Hai."

He chuckled again. "You are actually most fortunate that she chose to speak with you. She must sense you to be a person of value."

"I don't know what to say."

He smiled. "It doesn't matter. As I said before, I am to be your guide."

"Is it difficult to find our way around the temple grounds?"

He chuckled, "Oh, no. Not that sort of guide. My role is to guide you as you and I talk about everything and nothing."

"Everything and nothing?"

"Yes, everything and nothing. Everything in terms of what makes a difference in your life and nothing in terms of things that do not matter."

And so we spent several hours talking about me, my family, my upbringing, my life with Charlie, my work. I was surprised when Itsuke suggested that we take a break for a meal. I hadn't realized how much time we had spent.

Itsuke walked me over to a pavilion immediately adjacent to the garden. A low table surrounded by floor cushions had been set for us. We seated ourselves and a woman began serving us a wonderful meal starting with a clear soup broth, braised green vegetables of some sort, steamed fish and other delightful treats.

As we ate, Itsuke continued our conversation, "Peter, you may not realize it but as you grew up, you were trained to have a certain set of values and beliefs about yourself and others."

I thought about what Itsuke said and agreed. Mom and dad had taught me what they felt was right and what was acceptable; at least to them.

"I never thought of it as training. I just listened to mom and dad and tried to do what they taught me to do."

"Your mother was Scandinavian. Your father was from Japan."

"Yes." How did he know that?

"Tell me what you think was most important to both of them." That question led us to talk about relationships and how important relationships with others were to my parents, and now, to myself. We talked about my relationship with my late wife, Charlie. And how that relationship gave me strength and motivation to do things.

We must have talked about the complexity of relationships that we have with others all afternoon. How those relationships affected the way we interacted and worked together. I was surprised when Itsuke said that it had been a great day and that it was time to break and think about what we had talked about. I sat back and then noticed that it had become dark.

Itsuke then said, "I have asked another guest to join us for dinner. She, like you, is here to learn. But she has been here for four days already. Please follow me."

Itsuke led me back to the hot spring. "Peter, please enjoy your bath then join us for dinner." He bowed and left.

So I bathed, and soaked in the hot spring. This was great. I definitely wanted to build something like this back home. As I sat there, soaking in the hot waters, I had a moment to reflect on our conversations that day. Itsuke didn't have anything earth shaking to share with me. Instead, he did make me realize what was important to me and what wasn't. And how important my relationships with other people were to me. And how those relationships nurtured and strengthened me.

I sat in that hot spring and began to cry in appreciation for all that Charlie had given to me. Everything that my parents had done for me. The value and strength of the relationships that I had with my close friends. Yes, even Stevie-boy, Burt, Kara, and Raymond. I felt so much better. I felt renewed. I don't know how to better describe my feelings.

As I left the hot spring I discovered that someone had left another robe for me to wear. So I dressed myself in it and walked out of the hot spring garden area. Itsuke was waiting for me.

"How do you feel, Peter?" he asked.

I smiled at him, "So much better. I have much to think about, but I do feel much happier with myself."

"I am glad."

Itsuke walked me over to a bungalow where an older woman greeted us. I was then surprised to see another Caucasian here at the temple. I guess it showed on my face, as she smiled, "welcome Mr. Sekimura."

Itsuke chuckled, "Laura is ending her stay with us so I thought it might be beneficial for both of you to meet and we all have dinner together."

While we were eating I learned that Laura was of mixed ancestry also. Her mother was from Miyajima Island and her father was from the Midwest. We both found that we had been raised very similarly. Laura was currently living in Arizona. She had a daughter that was working in Tokyo and it was she that had talked Laura into coming to the temple. No husband.

Laura explained, "we just grew apart. We were both pursuing careers that led us in different directions. We just didn't realize what had happened. By the time that one of us noticed that we had grown apart, we had both changed so much that it felt strange ..... I felt as if I didn't know my husband at all any more. I didn't know what he liked or what was important to him." They divorced a while later. She had never remarried.

"So what did you learn here?" I asked.

She smiled, "that is very personal to me. I don't know if I am ready yet to fully embrace what I learned, but I am giving it a great deal of thought."

"I understand. Itsuke and I had a great conversation this afternoon. It made me appreciate what I had taken for granted all these years."

Laura nodded her understanding.

"Laura, let me ask you a question which I hope you will answer."

"I will if I can." She replied.

"Do you feel as if you have been changed by your visit to the temple?"

She looked at me for a few moments then replied, "That is a difficult question to answer. Yes I have changed. Definitely. How I've changed, I don't know. I am still asking myself questions and then searching for the answers."

"Is that a good thing; asking yourself questions?"

After a pause she responded, "I think it is a good thing. To me, it means that I am looking for the reasons to do things or to make certain decisions. I think I want to be more purposeful in the future."

I sat there trying to understand her answers and mesh them with my understanding of what Itsuke and I talked about that day.

"Do you understand what I mean?" she asked.

"I believe that I do. Itsuke has made me look within myself a lot today."

She smiled. "As he did, me. I think it's something that I haven't done before. And now it feels so refreshing to do that."

We finished our dinner together and I wished Laura the best as she continued her personal journey of introspection.

Itsuke walked me to another bungalow, "we have brought your things to this cottage. Please rest and I will see you tomorrow."

I expected it to be like Laura's however that was not the case. This bungalow was more open. Three solid walls formed the front and sides but the wall opposite the front of the building had a glass front. To the left was a small bathroom. To the right was a sleeping platform. In the front of the glass front was a small hot tub, filled with steaming, hot water. I smiled. I have got to get me one of these.

I disrobed and eased myself into the hot tub. It felt relaxing and luxurious. As I looked out through the glass wall, I noticed that the view opened to a small garden bounded by a high wall that offered privacy. In the middle of the garden sat a small stone Buddha in repose. I suppose it helped to focus one's attention on the Buddha to relax and meditate. So I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of all thoughts.

When I opened my eyes, the Buddha was gone. It was gone. I got out of the hot tub and walked out of the bungalow to check out the spot where the Buddha used to be. And there was no sign of it. Nothing. As if it had vanished. Was I seeing things?

After trying to understand what had happened I decided that I could do little about it other than accept that whatever had happened ..... happened. Or had it? So I went to bed and slept an uncomfortable sleep.

I woke the next morning and checked the garden again. No stone Buddha. No use spending more time thinking about it as I didn't have any answers. So I dressed in the robe again and left to find Itsuke.

I followed the path back to the pavilion next to the hot spring garden and found Itsuke waiting for me there.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

I related the story of the disappearing Buddha. He seemed intrigued by it.

"Sekimura-san, I do not recall a Buddha being in the garden. Are you sure that what you saw was a Buddha?" he asked.

I gave it a few minutes as I tried to recall the image of the Buddha.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure of what I saw."

Itsuke sat quietly for a moment, "Everything has a meaning in life. But I don't know what this means."

After a few moments he continued, "Many of the Buddha's teachings were about understanding one's life and how to cope with the challenges that one will face in the future. It seems that the appearance of the stone Buddha was a message of some sort."

If Itsuke didn't know what it meant, far be it for me to speculate. But it was sort of creeping me out.

"But not to worry, Peter. The great Buddha was a man of compassion and understanding. If anything, the appearance of the Buddha is surely a good sign."

----------

We had a light breakfast then spent the balance of the morning talking about the career paths that I had chosen and why. How I felt about the work that I used to do before I retired to take care of Charlie. And my goals in life. Goals? Well, pay the bills, have some left over to have fun with. Goals?

"What do you mean by goals?" I asked Itsuke.

He looked at me for a brief moment, "Goals give meaning and purpose to one's life. What things were most important to you for most of your life?"

Then it hit me. Right between my eyes. Bam! Making Charlie happy was what I lived for. That woman made me so happy. She didn't just love me when she felt like it. She loved me with all her heart, all of the time. And there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to make her smile. I cried as I explained my relationship with Charlie to Itsuke. And the depressing emptiness that I felt inside after she died.

"Sekimura-san, you are most fortunate that you were able to have such a strong and loving relationship with your wife. But now that she is no longer with us, you must find a new focus; a new purpose for your life."

Through my tears I realized the truth behind what Itsuke had just told me. Charlie had been my reason for living for so many years. And now that she was gone, I didn't have a reason to get up every morning and face the world. I no longer had a purpose for my existence. I was just wandering, drifting through life.

"What do I do?" I asked Itsuke. "Where can I find a ..... what can ....." I was lost.

"Come Peter. Let's walk to garden."

As we walked, Itsuke continued our conversation.

"What kind of work did you do, Peter?"

"I was an electrical engineer. I used to design automotive electrical systems."

"Was it interesting work?"

"I guess. Most of the time we were working on improving and designing electrical systems for the cars and trucks that would be out the following year."

"What was the most difficult part of your job?"

And so the conversation continued as Itsuke tried to help me figure out whether there was anything else that I took more than a passing interest in. But the conversations failed to ignite anything within me.

We had lunch and Itsuke suggested that I take the afternoon off and just relax in the hot tub, go for a walk in town or the surrounding country side, or whatever I wanted to do.

"Peter, trying to decide on a purpose for the rest of your life will come to you over time. You should not rush to embrace just any idea. Let it come to you naturally. Do not worry. It will happen now that you know and accept that you need direction and purpose."

What Itsuke said made a lot of sense. So I decided to change back into my "street clothes" and walk into the town and play tourist. Maybe I needed time away from the conversation to settle my mind. Besides, I had yet to see much of Yamagata.

----------

The temple's Torii gate is a short walk from one of the neighborhoods of this rural town. As I walked along the road that led from the temple, the roadside changed from modest homes to mixed retail shops. About a half hour's walk brought me to a shopping mall. So I decided to stop and do a little window shopping to check out what they sold and what the price differences may be in this part of Japan.

As I browsed from window to window, I came upon a stage area of the shopping mall. It was the scene of a lot of activity as groups of students were scurrying around, working on equipment and what looked like a weird menagerie of small rolling vehicles. As I watched the kids, it dawned on me that this was a robotics workshop or robotics competition of some sort. I used to help the local high school back home with their robotics program and this looked very familiar.

As I watched, it became apparent that one group of kids was getting really frustrated. They were checking their wiring harness, testing connectivity with a VOM meter, running a diagnostic program on their laptop; but nothing was working. As I watched them, I realized that the robot that they were working with was one of the kits that we had problems with ourselves. But I had figured out what was wrong with it; the assembly instructions themselves were faulty.

So I wandered over and observed. The kids and their advisors were apparently stumped so I walked up and gestured to myself, then to the robot. One of the advisors gestured for me to take a look. So I picked up the robot and sure enough, it was the same one. I gave them a thumbs up.

I unplugged the rear power unit assembly, and removed its covering. The instructions incorrectly called for the colored wires to be hooked up in a certain order. Well, that order was wrong. I had figured it out after our kids back home had gotten frustrated themselves. And knowing that I was an electrical engineer, they asked me if I could figure it out. And the correction was a simple one, but unless you knew basic electrical engineering the error would go unnoticed. The instructions called for a grounding wire to be connected to the power loop instead. So I took a screw driver from the table and switched the wires around, then plugged the power unit back in. And it worked.

The kids were ecstatic and the advisors were all smiling. They all came up to me and expressed their appreciation in Japanese, of course. Although I couldn't speak the language, the smiles and body language made their gratefulness very clear to me. And I smiled and bowed to them in return.

"You must know a lot about robots, Sekimura-san."

I turned to the speaker and it was Kris.

"Kris, what are you doing here?"

"I live here now. This is my son, Takeshi." Kris held a young boy by the shoulders.

"Sekimura-sensei, (teacher) domoo arigato (thank you very much)," Takeshi said before he scampered away to join his team mates.

"You obviously know something about these robots." Kris went on.

I chuckled, "Yeah, I used to help our local high school back home with their robotics program. And this particular kit gave us problems also. The assembly instructions were wrong. So I knew what to do to fix the problem."

"So you work with robots also?"

"Oh nothing like that. I used to be an automotive electrical engineer. I used to help design automotive electrical systems. So I kind of know my way around stuff like that."

"Well, thank you for helping us. Our kids have been working with that robot for weeks and today is their school competition. It was too late to change robots so they had to make this one work. The winner goes on to the prefecture-wide tournament next week. They were very worried when they couldn't get it to work."

Kris went back to his son's team as they helped their kids get things set up and practice with the robot. I watched them for a few minutes then meandered through the mall, watching other teams get their robots ready as well.

As I strolled back up the mall, Kris found me and asked for my help.

"One of the judges is saying that we cannot accept outside help. The kids must do the work themselves. I explained what you say about the instructions being wrong, but since I don't know what exactly was wrong, I couldn't elaborate. Can you help us Peter?"

"Sure, lead the way." And Kris led me to two men and a women who were talking with the group of parents.

Kris introduced me and let me explain in English while he translated in Japanese.

I picked up the robot and the assembly instructions, "the kit manufacturer got the translation wrong. If you look here (I pointed to the power assembly's wiring harness) the instructions say to hook up these wires the wrong way. If you take a look at the wires, one is a ground wire and the other should be part of the power feed loop. The instructions are printed incorrectly."

The judges examined the power assembly and the instructions. They saw what I did to correct the wiring. One of the judges, the woman, asked, "How did you know?" And she spoke it in very good English.

Kris jumped in, "Sekimura-san is an automotive electrical engineer. He also worked with this kit back in the US. He used to help with his high school's robotic program."

The woman conferred with her colleagues and then gave their approval. "We all agree that the problem was beyond the skill level of the kids so Sekimura-san's help is acceptable."

The woman turned to me, "you seem to be a long way from home."

"Yeah, I'm just here visiting and playing tourist."

"Temple?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Yamagata is not a normal tourist spot," she continued.

"I'm finding this town to be pretty interesting. And the temple master is a wise and knowledgeable person."

She looked at me for a moment then introduced herself, "my name is Iwamasa Kaiyo. My uncle is the person who you have been talking with I think."

"Sekimura, Peter. And I am pleased to meet you Ms. Iwamasa."

"Please call me Kaiyo." She smiled.

"Kaiyo, please call me Peter. Where did you learn how to speak English so well?"

"At the University of Washington."

"UW?"

"Yes, and before that I grew up and attended school in Yokosuka where I had many friends from the states."

"Yokosuka? And you're related to Iwamasa-sensei from the temple?"