Finders, Seekers
Every morning, I take a long walk with Fern, my weighted vest snapped and an Audible book for company. Currently, I am listening to former President Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, seeking a reminder of hope in what seems to be a lost nation. And, every morning, it’s the same route. I encounter the same early risers, the same cast of pups, the same interminable lights at crosswalks I wouldn’t dare ignore in Japan even at 5:30am. I am, afterall, a creature of habit and a rule follower, and I really look forward to my predictable path teetering along the border of Shibuya and Minato Ku. But familiarity breeds risk, the risk of tuning out and not truly seeing the subtle changes in foliage or oddities that might give you pause.
The other day, however, as I cruised back into my neighborhood, something caught my attention. Secured to a light post in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag was a singular airpod. And it struck me. Someone saw this airpod, presumably on this very sidewalk, and thought “I should do something about this. This belongs to someone, and they are probably looking for it.” And so, they picked it, took it home, put it in a Ziploc bag and returned to where they found it so it could be secured at eye-level on a light post in hopes of reuniting it with its owner. Since then, I have walked past the post several times, and the airpod is still there. And this made me think of something else, not only did the person who found it go out of their way to make it findable, but multiple people -- neighbors, children, delivery people -- have seen it, and left it, knowing it was awaiting its owner’s return, never touching what wasn’t theirs. There seems to be communal recognition that this item has value to someone, and that should be honored.
With Obama speaking into my ear of connection and community and a shared responsibility in making our country a better version of itself (I have 19 hours left to go on this baby, and it seems we might have generations of actual work to do), I couldn’t help but think how innate this mindset is in Japan. How doing the right thing, protecting and honoring the value of others’ possessions and spaces, humbly taking time when necessary to help quietly without fanfare or recognition, just seems to be part of the cultural DNA. Would this happen in other places? I like to think it would, but current headlines from around the globe, especially those coming from my home country, give me pause.
In the meantime, I am so grateful to the person who anonymously found a stranger’s airpod and tried to do right by it. I am so grateful for this affirmation of human decency. And, I am so grateful that my morning routine didn’t cloud my ability to bear witness to this good that I am so blessed to see.
