The Heavier the Rice, the Lower It Bows

The Heavier the Rice, the Lower It Bows

by Tokuhiko Kise

Looking back, my father loved to tell all kinds of stories.
He was always talking about his own experiences.

I was still a child, and I cannot say how much I truly understood at the time.
But somehow, his words seeped in and stayed with me.

Until the very end, he carried an attitude of gratitude toward everything.
I never once heard him speak ill of others or complain.

By the way, my mother was always smiling.
I cannot recall ever seeing her angry.

Among the words my father often repeated was this:
“The heavier the rice, the lower it bows.”

I have never lived with those words consciously in mind.
Yet they return to me from time to time, and I think—that is how I would like to be.