" We have the same socks," said my student. Well, almost the same, and close enough to deserve a photo! In Japanese there is a phrase EN GA ARU, which basically means that WE HAVE A CONNECTION. Finding that connection is so fun! Reminds me of the bestseller book I read ages ago, The Celestine Prophecy. Don't remember the bulk of the story, but do remember fancying the idea that meetings with people, no matter how brief or seemingly insignificant, are not coincidental. This also reminds me of the last day of my first stay in Japan, when a person I had never met hosted me for a formal tea ceremony, and presented me with the caligraphied rice paper that was thoughtfully hung in the tea room for the occasion. On it was written the saying, ICHI GO ICHI E, which reiterates the same message that one meeting connects you forever. So, when my student finds something that we have in common, even our socks, I am happy to have made another connection.
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