People Are a Problem – An Excerpt from Goodness Abounds: 365 True Stories of Loving Kindness
I get out nearly every day and walk along the river near my home in Hachioji. I can count on seeing egrets, crows, caterpillars, butterflies, beetles, spiders, and if I am lucky, a few feral cats. One wise cat reminded me of the inherent goodness of humans. The story was first published in 2017, and the Japanese is now available here. 日本語はこちら→
People Are a Problem
As the road curved around towards the bridge, I saw the orange tabby cat sunning himself on the bank. Though I walk through his territory often, I rarely see him. I feel lucky whenever I catch a glimpse of him napping in the bushes or patrolling the river bank. Today he was sitting in plain view. I presumptuously took this as an invitation to stop and visit.
When I sat down near him on the grass, I thought he might move away. Instead, he shifted his weight and continued looking out at the river. I started to feel bad. Maybe I was intruding. Maybe he was irritated. “People are a problem” I heard in my head. I agreed and imagined all the ways people must interfere with his life – the nosey walkers like me, the dog owners, the cyclists…Crash!
I whipped my head around. There was a young boy in the middle of the road trapped under his bicycle. He must have taken the corner a little too fast. I raced over to help him and was relieved when he stood up, shocked but uninjured. After a few words, the boy got back on his bicycle and pedaled away.
With the excitement over, I looked back to my spot in the grass. The cat was gone, so I continued my walk, thinking about the boy. His accident reminded me of years ago when I, too, had crashed my bicycle. A nice lady had stopped to ask if I was ok. A thought popped into my head: “People are nice, you know.” I chuckled to myself and hoped the cat had been watching me with the boy. Maybe he would understand that sometimes people are nice. I looked up. The cat WAS watching. Had he been following me? He sat there facing the road. Facing me!
Then I got it. My exchange with the boy was not to show the tabby cat that people were nice. It was to remind me. I bowed my head and thanked him. All the way home I chanted, “People are nice, you know! People are nice.”
The English version of this story was first published in 2017 in Goodness Abounds: 365 True Stories of Loving Kindness, available on Amazon.
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About the Author:
Hi! I’m Marci. I’ve lived in Japan for over 30 years, blending tech, language, and healing in my work. Through caregiving for my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s and supporting my husband’s cancer recovery, I discovered the importance of yoyu—having the time, energy, and emotional reserves to thrive. Now, I share these insights through writing, coaching, and creative projects. My upcoming memoir, Otosan, tells the story of those five transformative years. Let’s connect and create more yoyu in our lives!
