The Stories That Find You

That's life.

Please, be kind, listen to this uncanny, puzzling story of mine.

Sometimes, the best things happen when you’re not even looking for them.

One day — while chatting about this and that with a friend who happens to have that rare gift of writing — you hear her talking about her new project related to Japan.

And you, being your usual idiot self, launch into one of your endless rants (the kind only those who really know you can listen to with a smile) — about how much fashion and martial arts have in common.

Because, you say, a good tailor and a good karate master are more alike than one might think — both know precision, balance, and discipline.

Then you keep going, as if nothing had happened, explaining that ancient samurai women were lethally elegant — just like modern karate champions.

And that one evening, by the sea in Maputo, a friend once told you an old, almost mythical story about a Black samurai — Yasuke, the man from afar who served Oda Nobunaga, the XVI century demon samurai who changed the destiny of Japan and more...

You tell the story as if you had lived it yourself — with all the details, the pauses, and the sound of the waves breaking behind you.

And then she looks at you and laughs:

— “You know, you actually tell these stories really well.”

And I, as clueless as ever, go:

— “Well, that’s because I’m a big chatterbox.”

And she, with that sweet yet teasing tone:

— “No, you’re more like those old men who tell fairy tales to children.”

“Oh great, now you’re calling me old,” I reply.

And she, perfectly serious:

— “No, I’m asking you to write three pieces for my new books.”

That’s Life.

This is how it goes.

The best things often happen while you’re busy doing something else.

And so, from a random chat, two of my most inspired “rambles” ended up inside Helene Blignaut’s books — born somewhere between a smile, an African memory, and a healthy dose of improvisation.

Here are the links to two books I highly recommend:

DEFINITELY JAPAN: Fashion and Mysteries

https://a.co/d/dE8zct3

THE DEMON SAMURAI

https://a.co/d/5gXerm1

(Photo courtesy of Helene Blignaut)