Kiddie Pool

It was a hot Spring afternoon, and beautiful pink blossom petals were dancing onto the garden path. I was swimming in the paddling pool, playing with my rubber duck, while Slomo lay back in his deck chair wearing his shades and sunning himself. I looked up at the cherry blossom tree I was swimming underneath, and decided Slomo would want to have a go too. So, I called: “Come on, Slomo! It’s great!”

Slomo put down his suntan mirrors and wheeled over towards me. He dipped his claw like hand into the water. “Hmmm….feels warm.” he said. Then….SPLASH! I grabbed Slomo and dragged him into the water. Both of us were laughing as we splashed each other, and then, a blossom petal landed on my nose. Slomo and I breathed in deeply. A sweet smell filled the Spring air.

“Is there a Hanami going on far away in Japan?” I asked. “Maybe, but I think to join we may have to go by plane.” said Slomo. “I’ll tell you what - tomorrow, we’ll make some of our own Japanese recipes and have a picnic under the tree. How does that sound?” “Oh Slomo, you are the bee’s knees!” I cried.

So the very next day, after a morning-long cooking session (Slomo’s HK technology was built for this, you know), we went outside into the garden and talked, laughed and shared some beautifully made Japanese food like pancakes and fish-shaped teriyaki, as blossom petals gently fell around us.

Then, Slomo put his hands together and said: “Heiwa.” That’s Japanese for ‘peace’. Not knowing what else to do, I put my own hands together, closed my eyes, and said that very word Slomo was saying, a word to bring unity:

“Heiwa.”