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Open 2017
My guiding theme for 2017 will be Open. Some years, choosing the theme word for the year involves a lot of thesaurus consulting, debating and mind-changing. But this year it came to me in a flash and I haven’t considered anything else. Open is just right: honest, undecided, unobstructed, obvious, objective. I may find myself…
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Evolution of Christmas Spirit
This year end has been hectic and stressful with driving school, health issues, a broken fridge, blah, blah, blah. I was not feeling the usual “I hate Christmas’ mood this year as much as I was completely indifferent and almost ignorant of the holiday coming up. Boxes arrived from family overseas. I stacked them up.…
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Omens, Talismans, and Offerings
I am solidly superstitious, though usually pretty quiet about it. Omens are things of legend and talismans are for the weak and foolish. Despite that, I’ve always had a feeling that there are objects and actions that will improve any situation. Yesterday, when I went to the Driving License Center to take my final exam,…
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On the Devastating Loss of a Stuffed Friend
I feel slightly sheepish writing this. The grief I feel over losing my friend, Zoupi, pales in comparison to the death of a human friend or a living pet. It seems unfair to even compare them at all. But People and pets die and we sort of accept that is going to happen some day…
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8 Streetlights, 12 Spiderwebs
I love walking in the night. Tokyo made me forget the beauty of darkness, but the countryside has awakened my enjoyment of evening calmness. It isn’t pitch black, even on a cloudy, new moon night, but photos don’t capture the dull glow of sky, the faint reflections in the rice fields, or the shy blinking…
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Changes of Season
Before we left Tokyo seven months ago, I had a concern about the seasons, of all things. After almost 18 years in the city, I was tuned to the nature there and the procession of plants and weather created a visceral annual timeline for me. If I moved somewhere else, I’d lose my sense of…
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Practice makes perfect, if you do it…
Today, thanks to a friend’s share on Facebook, I read a great article on practice and how simply practicing isn’t enough to achieve mastery. I recommend that you read it here: Not All Practice Makes Perfect by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. I found the article to be simultaneously encouraging and discouraging. Their main take…
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A new age demographic
I feel I ought to have something impressive or profound to say about becoming 50. However, no wisdom has settled down like a crown upon my head. I have not grown eyes at the back of my head or turned into Janus overnight. I like fifty so far. It’s a half century! I’ve looked forward to…
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Equinox Creativity
Our annual Spring Equinox barbecue was a great success among new neighbors and old friends. We were fifteen people with food for 30. There was an abundance of cheese from around the world, plenty of bread including some delicious loaves locally baked, mushrooms (we ordered 2 kg online!), herbed mayonnaise, dips, vegetable sticks, and lots…
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Busy in the Countryside
When we moved from Tokyo to rural Chiba, I had no idea that I’d be so busy all the time. Isn’t country life a laid-back relax-a-thon? Not at all. First of all, Nature calls. She changes the weather and I adjust various household items – turning off water on sub-freezing nights, opening windows to release…
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