Issue No. 2: The Phone of the Wind

Dear Human,

On a quiet, grassy hill in the town of Otsuchi, Japan, stands a white wooden phone booth with a glass door. Inside, there is no dial tone, no digital screen, and no wires connecting it to the world. There is only an old, black rotary phone and a notebook. It is known as the Kaze no Denwa, The Phone of the Wind.

The Postmark:

The booth was built by a man named Itaru Sasaki. In 2010, he set it up in his garden to help him cope with his own grief, saying, "Because my thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." But a year later, when the 2011 tsunami devastated the coastline, the "Phone of the Wind" became a landmark of collective healing. Thousands of people have since traveled to this hill. They step inside, pick up the receiver, and "dial" the numbers of those they have lost or those they are separated from by distance or time. They speak into the silence, letting the wind carry their updates, their apologies, and their love.

The Lesson: Kindness isn't always about a physical gift or a "fix." Sometimes, the kindest thing we can dofor others and for ourselves is to create a sacred space for listening. It reminds us that our words have power, even when the listener is only present in the quiet of our hearts.

Your Weekly Prompt:

Today, we are going to write a "Wind Letter." This is a letter to someone you cannot reach by a traditional phone line perhaps someone from your past, a lost friend, or even a person you’ve yet to meet.

• The Task: Write a letter that doesn't need a stamp or an address.

• The Script: "I was reading about the 'Phone of the Wind' in Japan today, a place where people speak to the people they miss. It made me realize there are things I still want to tell you. I’m writing this down to 'send it to the wind.' I want you to know that..."

With warmth and ink,

The Editor

TheKindnessStudio.org