Listening with the ears of the heart
I sauntered down to the river this morning to feel the brief interlude of sun on my skin. It is the beginning of the rainy season in Japan so taking time to enjoy the sun when it is out is essential. My eye was drawn to a woman who was cutting wild plants by the river and when she looked up to catch my eye she turned toward me and, with her sharp knife hidden behind her back and basket in hand, approached me with a big enthusiastic smile.
It didn’t take long before we both realized we didn’t speak each others language ~ my blank look when she spoke was probably a sure sign! We had to pause, slow down and be with each other in a new way. Through body, intuition and motion I found out her name is Mikiko and she told me about the plants she was harvesting and that she makes mochi with them.
Mikiko motioned for me to join her in finding these small plants and I crouched to watch as she cut each plant with care. After some time Mikiko stood up and I realized she was inviting me to her home to taste the mochi she made with these wild plants.
We walked in silence to her home across and down the street and she welcomed me with such lightness and joy. I was careful to take my shoes off on the cement and step up into the living space without touching the floor. Mikiko gave me some slippers and proceeded to warm up the mochi in the toaster oven and make some green tea. I felt comfortable in her traditional Japanese home and when the mochi and tea were served we sat at the kitchen table and ate together. All we could say was gomen nasai, which means I’m sorry…sorry that we couldn’t speak each other’s language.
Mikiko knew a bit about me, as I am the new kid in this small rural village, and asked if I was a potter. My face lit up with recognition - “yes”, I smiled. After tea I invited her back to my studio to see my work space and some of the pieces I am working on.
Listening with the ears of the heart is a kind of silence, but it is not necessarily the absence of sound. It is an act of generously listening with a mindful and loving heart, unfettered by internal chatter, personal ambition, hidden agendas, and personal prejudice. It’s the kind of listening I do when I am in relationship with clay and the name of this clay form…or maybe it is Mitsuba named after the wild Japanese parsley I learned about today. When I was able to sink down into my heart this morning I could listen and communicate with Mikiko from that place and stay open to this experience that otherwise I may have passed by.
