Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会 "one time, one meeting")
In Japanese culture, the idea of treasuring every meeting with people is described with that idiom in the title of this post. Every encounter you experience is once in a lifetime because you can never repeat it the exact same way. In some cases, as with an encounter with a stranger, you may never see that person again in your life. Those can stand out the most. I just had that type of encounter with someone while riding the bus home from work. I took the bus one hour earlier than usual since I was off earlier due to having a slow day. I noticed a young man sitting across from me with a first semester Japanese textbook and workbook- the same I used when I was in college. I gathered up to courage to start a conversation regarding the book, the Japanese culture, anime, martial arts and the Asian studies major. It was a brief convo. We both arrived at the bus stop and proceded to our respective bus routes, parting ways. That was when it hit me- that is definitely a meeting for one time only.
