The Kindness of Women

One day, when I was wandering the streets of downtown Morioka, Japan, I stopped a stranger and asked him what he believed was the most important thing in life. He paused just long enough to change mental gears from whatever line of thought I had interrupted and replied, "Onna no yasashisa.". The kindness of women. He smiled and laughed warmly, good naturedly. We chatted for a while about his response -- which was fully wholesome -- and then we went on our respective ways.

It is one day shy of three weeks since my wife and daughter flew to a neighboring state to stay with my in-laws while our house is repaired for water damage from a pipe leak. We did not expect the remediation would take nearly this long. Indeed, it is probably yet a week from completion. The past two weekends, I have been too busy at work to get away to see them, but this weekend is clear and so I am at the gate now, waiting to board a flight to see them for the weekend.

Southwest. People are starting to queue.