I still remember the moment the naked reality of dying hit me like a blow of a hammer. It felt like all protection you take for granted in life has vanished. Nothing stood between death and life as I knew it.
We have been blessed that the treatment strategy has worked, supported by miracles and finding the right specialists. Gradually the urgency of treatment faded like seeing the sun breaking through the clouds after heavy weather. Not the eye of a Typhoon, but a change in cloud patterns and shifting winds, heralding better weather was on its way.
This week something changed when I was offered a renewable contract after reaching the age of 60, which will be in May 2020. Suddenly I felt relieved from the burden to find a source of income sufficient to pay for my daughter’s schooling. This burden had gradually and unconsciously built up in the wake of the receding storm.
What a relief came over me in the days following that meeting. I also realized deeply that the involved Japanese manager was trying hard to resolve my plight by resolving his own lack of strategic management resources. This made me feel so useful again after a long period of sickness, pain and lack of energy.
His exact words moved me deeply: ‘Now I am going naked...’ as he wrote the offer on the whiteboard. Being naked equals being completely honest with each other, and it’s why Japanese enjoy sharing a hot bath with others. Passion suddenly burst from my heart again when his hands closed around mine.
Sharing such a deep sense of trust was so profound, so moving. This is a clear example why I feel so close to the people in this country. It has become a driving force in my recovery, like the light of Angels, bringing comfort, hope and guidance.
