I Lost My Wife in Shinjuku

Shinjuku is the largest station in the world.

Every day, the equivalent population of Sydney – 4 million people - pass through the station. Of course, Shinjuku is in Japan. It is a maze of stations, subways, railways, shops, tunnels, bridges - all under the banner "Shinjuku Station."

And it was there – 14 years ago – that I lost my wife.

Rosa Luisa Rossi was finishing a teaching trip in Japan, and I suggested she needed a Japanese-speaker to help her catch the right train at this massive station, so Jaldhara went with Rosa Louisa in one taxi, while I took our two large bags and two small children, in another.

"Meet you in Shinjuku." were my famous last words.

When we arrive at the station, my two little girls looked around:

"Where's mummy?"

Good question. 

There were no smartphones in those days, no texting. Flip phones had just arrived, but neither of us had one. I took my girls to the airport, hoping to meet up there.

"I lost my wife," I told the man when I tried to check-in at Narita.

"How?" he asked.

"At Shinjuku station."

"Ahh, yes," he nodded, as though it happened every day.

***

We missed the plane, but Jetstar was kind enough to let us all fly the next day, so it turned into a learning experience for me.

What was my learning?

How narrow my focus can be, and the danger of that to my wellbeing. Narrow focus is seeing something as though it exists in isolation. In this case, all I could think of was that Rosa Luisa Rossi needed a translator to help her navigate to the airport.

It didn't occur to me that I could lose my wife. 

Looking back, it was obvious. I knew Shinjuku – why didn't I make a plan where we should meet? Why didn't it even occur to me to do that?

This is how it is with Postural movements – the most apparent cause of your hurt is never in the region you are thinking about.

Instead, people obsess at the place where the discomfort exists.

If your lower back is sore – that's where you rub, stretch and think. Did you ever think your head and upper spine were causing it? 

Or if your wrist is hurting – did it occur to you the problem could be coming from your upper arm?

The list goes on. These are the kinds of surprises happening when you explore Alexander's discovery with everyday ailments and needs.

And it’s fun, informative and transformational. Come along to Golden Week and join the Japanese community for a week of sheer delight.

https://atsuccess.com/alexander-discovery-workshop-japan-jeremy-chance.html