Our lives are inexplicably complex. I was thinking of how I would explain the situation I’m in to someone who doesn’t know me, and I just kept remembering layers and layers of stuff that is all important and all contributes to who I am right now. In short, it would take a very long time …
Sincere gratitude is the name of the game. The Japanese are smart. They know that everything starts with appreciation. Before every meal they say ‘Itadakimasu’ meaning ‘I humbly receive this meal’, but there is the connotation that you are thanking every living being (including plants) that played even the smallest part in bringing the meal …
Golden week’s coming up, and that means I will have a bit more time to work on my own projects. But it also means I think I will have extra time to do everything I need to, when in reality, I don’t. When you have a bit of free time coming up, it’s easy to …
A few years ago, I was getting ready to host a party at my house, and suddenly it got harder for me to breathe. At the time I thought it was the fumes of the Kerosene heater (hard to believe but this is still the norm in northern Japan), and I actually went to the …
Setbacks are setbacks if you let them be setbacks. Of course when you’re trying new things, not everything will go smoothly. That’s what I would call a setback, a little hump on the road, or sometimes a big one. That’s part of the excitement though, you go into new projects knowing that there will be …
In retrospect, if anything, this day five years ago was a reminder to live. I’m not sure he’d want many people knowing this, but if it helps even just one person to get off the couch and do what they’ve always said they’d do, then I’m sure he’d be happy to let people know. My …
I was listening to an interview with a movie producer this morning. One guy was a student who was into cinematography and editing but ultimately wanted to become a director. That guy asked the producer for advice on how to proceed. The producer’s advice was to work on editing skills, for now, because a director …
I climbed Mt. Arakurayama today, a mountain to the west of central Tsuruoka that straddles the Shonai coast and overlooks one of the coolest places along the Sea of Japan, Yura. The weather was just too good. I woke up, looked outside, saw how clear of a day it was and felt the urge to …
[replace run with your preferred form of exercise] One time when I was working at an elementary school here I was asked why I swim. My answer was probably too honest, but I said I swim now, because there will come a time that I will not be able to swim. In other words, I …
The other day I wrote that I may have to break someone’s heart by turning down a job offer. Turns out I don’t have to. I’m just going to make it so I only do the essential part of that job, and outsource the rest. That way I can still be a part of solving …
