Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. – Norman Vincent Peale It’s our first Christmas in Japan and things are in full swing. Our house is decorated, including our first attempt at outside lights. All our gifts to family and friends have been wrapped and mailed. …
Human reactions to robots varies by culture and changes over time. In the United States, we are terrified by killer robots. In Japan, people want to snuggle with killer robots. – Daniel H. Wilson Before we moved to Japan, we did very little research on popular things to do and see. This was mostly because, …
“Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit” – Unknown …
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. – Dorothy Day Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take …
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou Have you ever been in a place where it was difficult to communicate with other people? I’ve spent plenty of time choosing not to talk to …
shrine: n. a place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, marked by a building or other construction. There are lots of shrines in Japan. According to a recent survey, nearly 80% of the Japanese population practices the Shinto religion. As part of Shintoism, shrines …
“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.” – Paulo Coelho It’s a Saturday in July (a little late, I know), and I have received an invite from Ayumi, a Japanese friend of mine. She asked me to go with her to a matsuri, or festival, in her area of town. It was a …
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what’s truly important” – …
“The best stories come from real life” – Diane English “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings” – William Arthur Ward “All of life is a foreign country” – Jack Kerouac It’s hard to believe a month (or more!) has passed since my …
“Moment by moment, we have the opportunity to say yes, to move into our lives and open ourselves to the adventure – but that doesn’t mean that we ever really know where we’re going or that we can predict what we’ll find when we get there. If we’re lucky, though, the life we end up …
