Kindness Beyond Words

Today I had a remarkable experience. I was riding my bike home along the path that runs along the Kamo-gawa river through the center of Kyoto. As I looked ahead in the distance I couldn’t help but notice a Japanese woman smiling at me from ear to ear. It was that look that a friend or loved one has on their face when you arrive at the airport after not having seen you for weeks or even months.

At first I assumed she was looking at someone behind me but then she walked straight up for me and started smiling even more. She spoke almost no English so I couldn’t really be sure what all the excitement was about. She started looking through her purse for a business card or paper to write on.

She said she was “in hospital” and “very sick”.

As she was searching through her purse her umbrella started to fall so I caught it and held it for her. She said “you very kind”. “You very friendly.” I tried to ask if she was ok and how was she sick and she just said “my brain...very sick.” She gave me her info in Japanese and thanked me for being “so kind”.

I am still not sure what that was or what exactly happened. Maybe she was physically sick or mentally sick. But at the end of the day a person who needed some kindness was able to receive that, without a common language being necessary.