Happy Lights

It was winter in Tokyo. It’s Tokyo, not Sapporo, but still, winter is winter. I was on my way back from the Imperial Palace to my hotel—looking forward to a warm room. But the cheering people on the sidewalk lit a fire in me.

They gasped, “Waa… sugoi!” again and again as the streetlights changed colors. I leaned on the railing near a stoplight, waited for the cars to roll, and rolled my camera at a slow shutter speed.

Just as the busy people of Tokyo had slowed down long enough to admire a few changing lights, my camera slowed down too. Without their pause, I might never have paused. And without that pause, this photograph would never have existed.

From people I never knew, I learned to cheer for the ordinary and appreciate life.

What are the small things in your life that you have come to appreciate more?