Trickster

An existence called trickster is referred to in the philosophy of Jung. In the stagnated situation in which things do not work or face deadlock, a person or an animal appears as a new factor, which triggers a new development in the situation, holds an important key in retrospect, or makes a turning point. It might be a common experience for everybody.

I came back from Monaco, spent a few busy days as usual, then a TV crew arrived from Japan this week. They came for filming for five days. I felt somewhat pleased as if a Japanese support corps had arrived. I felt little embarrassed, too. Everybody was very considerate to me during the filming, and nicely accepted my straightforward way of speaking.
I was somewhat tense as I was fitted with a microphone and filmed all day.
They will come to my home tomorrow. I will sit for an interview for "The Gift to the Future". I am a little nervous, thinking about what I should say. The day after tomorrow, I will have a mini concert by my students and a party at home after that. They say they will bring various foods as well. I asked them either to bring something to eat or to perform, and I was surprised because there were many who wanted to play.

The colored leaves are beautiful on the row of cherry trees.
I practiced violin after a long while, happened to see outside, and saw pretty little birds like colored parus majors camimg one by one, and finally four altogether. They appeared to come to see a hole on the terrace for the drainage investigation.
They went back after chatting for a while. The free sky will be getting cold, which is a season of life or death or for these birds.
A few years ago, pigeons made a nest in the Christmas tree, which was left on the terrace, and laid eggs, and young birds hatched to our surprise. We watched the whole course of the event and my children took a video. By then, the parent birds had acclimated themselves to us, and didn't care when we were around. We enjoyed the growth of the newly hatched birds. One day, we were expected to show them to Papa, who was coming back from the US, and found the two young birds were missing. They seemed to have been eaten. The parent birds went out more frequently as the young birds grew, and a crow tool advantage of this opportunity. We knew that because we found their heads discarded in a pot for houseplants on a upper terrace. This was an instant of natural selection, which my children witnessed for the first time. I couldn't utter words, as my sorrow reached beyond simple sympathy. I felt sorry for the parent birds, which were completely flustered. After a few days they disappeared. They came again the following year, but they did not make a nest because there was no Christmas tree.

As a matter of fact, we have seven little birds. We keep them on the outside terrace. I was not that much interested in birds, and I especially disliked birds kept in a cage. One day, my husband, who liked birds very much, bought them secretly. I got up with the sound of birds, and found the cage on the outside terrace.

They survived three winters, though some of them died and some of them flew away through the windows we had forgotten to close.

Now they are a comfort to me. I hope they survive this winter.

Well, the film crew had gone back. The party with my children and students and mini concerts were cheerfully completed. The crew filmed my son's soccer, and the touring of my daughter and Papa in the forest. I drove a car, and the camera man filmed me from the passengers seat. It is nice as I was like Ichiro! I dreamed of this happening to me once. There was also an interview of my host family, who took care of me when I participated in the competition in 1980. To my surprise, they kept the whole lot of the photographs, my letters, and newspaper clippings. That was like a moment in a time warp. I am happy to be able to show all these to Japanese people after thirty years, which seems like just a second!

On top of that, we could see a full rainbow from the terrace facing the forest, when the crew came to my house. I couldn't utter a word, as this was an unexpected gift of nature, which cannot be obtained even if I had wished. At the end of the concert, we saw a beautiful sunset. I was very pleased as I was able to show to the crew the very best of Brussels.

Now I see a long row of wild geese flying in the sky.

After two weeks, I think about the crew's visit as if it were a dream of a second. They came and went as if they were birds. Their existence like a trickster brought some thoughts not only to me, but to each one of my students and to my children who were interviewed. I am grateful to the crew.

The film will be broadcast at 10 o'clock in the evening on the 11th December. TBS-BS "The Gift to the Future".
I will be grateful if you kindly watch the program.