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Family searches for wisdom
The Nozawa family begins their journey on 'Exploration for Wisdom'. 99.12.24/ Temperature: -3 C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/ Wind Direction: NE
Start: Fujimi Village 36 27 57N 139 06 18 E
Destination: Kiryu City 36 24 21 N 139 19 51 E
Distance Traveled: 25 kmFor over three months now we have all been searching for wisdom in our own regions throughout the world. Today I had the unusual opportunity to continue this search with a family of five. The Nozawa Family joined me for the afternoon as I made my way closer to Kiryu City.
Since I have entered Gunma Prefecture sunshine and cool breezes have kept the snow away, but the temperature matches right up there with snow covered Nigata Prefecture. This morning it was -3 as I set off. To the south I could see Ogo Town and Maebashi City. I haven't seen a valley so densely covered with houses and buildings for the entire trip. Rooftops reflected rays of the rising sun; the almost full moon was high in the western sky.
Tsuneo, Hiroko, Yuichiro, Shun, and Akira hopped out of their family mini-van and seemed ready to begin the day's adventure. The three young boys each tried on my pack testing their own strength. I was even lucky enough to have it carried for a few hundred meters as we started walking down the road. I have walked for close to 1500 kilometers and this was the first time I've seen an entire family walking together.
This scenic rice paddy was the picnic ground for my healthy lunch with the Nozawas. We encountered a local women sitting leisurely in front of her house peeling a sweet potato for miso soup. Charmed by the Nozawa boys she was quick to offer them each a tangerine and wished them well on their walk with me. The boys shyly thanked the women and continued down the road. This may have been the first time the boys have received something from a complete stranger. Continuing encounters with strangers, our next stop was at a local dairy farm. Here the boys learned about some of Gunma Prefecture's famous products and that some of the cows at the farm were imported from Hokkaido.
For lunch we wondered up a side street to an area of terraced rice paddies. Seated along the path between two rice paddies we ate rice balls made with organic brown rice and organic pickled daikon (Japanese radish). Healthy foods are one of Hiroko's specialties. She insists on using all-natural foods and creating an all-natural environment for her kids. "Even if it is a little more expensive, keeping our kids healthy is the most important thing," she once told me. Finishing up our empowering lunch we headed back to the main road.
Not only did we walk and converse with locals, the Nozawa boys also had a bag-full of games to entertain us along the way. I don't know who started jumping first; when I turned around to see what the boys were doing it took me a few minutes to figure it out. As cars passed, their shadows were cast on the sidewalk which we walked along. The boys were shadow jumping. Big rigs cast the largest shadows, creating the biggest challenge to jump over. Once off on a side road the game switched to shadow tag. Whoever is 'it' tries to step on someone else's shadow. If your shadow is stepped on then you become 'it.'
My biggest discovery of the day was the Nozawa family itself. Healthy food and healthy and cheerful kids, there must be some secrets to be learned from them. Hiroko's strong adherence to all natural foods, the kids' adherence to having fun, and Tsuneo's recommendation that they all come join exploration for wisdom for the day created an encouraging warmth for me. My interaction with them got me thinking that wisdom may not be something that ends with the individual but perhaps is something shared in families or communities.
What do you all think?
PS. Missing my family on during my home-country holiday of Christmas, it was nice to have family to join me for the day. I thank the Nozawas for sharing Christmas eve with me.
Greg
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