The power of flower: Play a bigger game?

Last week was the first tough week since I left my beloved Melbourne home.

It started with Jackhammers just under my bedroom stairs, which I found out would be going all week, due to leaking. Rainy season had just begun.

So I gathered my thoughts as best I could and took refuge at another freind's in Tokyo.

On arriving I found out that friend #2 also had a few days of noisy construction planned, with a builder due to visit my room at first light. Quite Quite unlucky.

I resemble a normal person, but arranging my thoughts in a straight line is a lot of work for my brain, even when things are quiet. One 'bang' and they all scatter like dandelion fluff, needing to be gathered back again.


I may be house-poor right now, but after all these years in Japan I'm getting rich in mates who let me come and stay. So I got my work-gear and life-gear together again, setting out in search peace and productivity.
"Dare to Play a bigger Game' Urged my glossy laptop bag, a souvenier from the NSAA convention last April.

Things didn't get better. My gear, myself and my frilly umbrella spent much of the week in trains, moving from house to house to internet cafe, feeling completely beaten in a very small game that is not the tiniest bit fun to play.

"Never feel sorry for yourself" is a basic rule for having a good and sane life, but I was indulging.

"What a pity you can't die of misery! All my troubles would be over!" These were my thoughts as I struggled though rush-hour Shinagawa Station towards the dreaded ladies room.

Then look, just look at what I saw:

Bougenvillia, Carnation, Geranium leaf and
Take Away Container, Shinagawa ladies Toilets.

Someone had bothered to do this.
Why did they do this?
I was so excited, I ran back to my luggage to get my camera, the dying of misery plans all canceled.

More!

Someone had picked flowers in the rain, happily carried them in the crush of a Tokyo train, devotedly washed out old containers, and arranged them with care and flair.

I bounded back to the restroom with my camera, and just look who I found:


Typical Lucky Cecilia, I caught him in the act, making his corner of the world absolutely sparkle, deftly transforming things for a city's worth of sad and overburdened people.

Hero of my week, and uncontested winner of 'Play a Bigger Game'