Essay
Luck
運
In a few days on January first, people all over Japan will be lining up at shrines and temples, praying for 2023 to be a year that’s full of good health and good fortune. In my previous essay, I mentioned the rhyme “Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you’ll have good luck.” What I’ve come to realise is, penny or not, something good is never far away.
This year, a series of coincidences and lucky choices led me to the discovery of my new favourite place to eat in the neighbourhood. On my way home one day, I bumped into my masseuse. She was on her way to lunch at a restaurant not far from where I live. She told me the name of the place, so one Sunday, I decided to check it out for lunch.
When I got there, they told me very apologetically they had to open 30 minutes later than usual. As it was a nice day, I decided to wander around the neighbourhood while waiting. I walked past several other cafes I had never been to. I had a choice: Should I have lunch at those places instead? I decided to keep walking. I came across a homemade soba noodle place. The sign on their door said this weekend was their last. This was my only chance to try them. But I decided instead to kill time in a nearby park and message a friend to catch up.
Going back to the first restaurant turned out to be an excellent decision. I’m always a bit nervous when trying out new places, but the restaurant had a calming atmosphere. The husband and wife couple running it worked quietly but confidently. When we got a chance to chat, I found out that, like me, they had been to Iceland in the middle of winter. I had been with some friends when I lived in the U.K. and thought we were the only crazy ones to visit Iceland in February. But I had now found some other kindred spirits. The couple gave off very warm, honest vibes, and I felt energised from the visit. For all I know, I might have bonded similarly with the proprietors of the other eateries. All I can say is, I’m glad things worked out the way they did.
So, is it really possible to increase your good luck at a shrine or temple? Some people believe so. Regardless of whether or not this is true, I hope everyone can experience good luck in small and big ways in the new year and beyond. Good luck and fortune is always just around the corner — but you might just have to wander around the neighbourhood a little bit before you find it. (Samantha Loong)
20221230-06x.mp3 - Google ドライブ
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Numbers 030
Chapter 30
Numbers 030x.mp3 - Google ドライブ
***** Vows *****
1 And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.
2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;
4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.
9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;
11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.
