Creative Meanderings

My ramblings and wanderings through life

  • A month has flown by! The last time I wrote, we were just going into the State of Emergency (SoE) within a few prefectures, then all of Japan was brought under the declaration. Despite the initial plan to return to life as we knew it by May 6th – after the Japanese Golden Week(end) holidays -, we found ourselves with an unsurprising extension until the end of the month. Even then, there’s no…

  • These days, my parents and I seem to be Skyping about every two weeks. Although they are still young at heart and generally fit, I do remind them that they aren’t getting any younger – much to their chagrin. (It’s my duty as a daughter to keep it real! ) Therefore, our regular catch ups serve multiple purposes. 😉 There were periods of time in the past when it would be months in…

  • Unless you’ve been under a rock or blissfully enjoying a Luddite world, in which case you wouldn’t be reading this, you will be aware of the global crisis known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. Now, I’m not a prepper, panicker, conformist, or doomsday believer. In fact, in a state of emergency I have always said that I will be found as far away from the masses as possible because it’s people we have…

  • Where does the time go? There I was thinking that I was on regular schedule for posting, but then three weeks just flew by! Now, I am back in March and hoping to not jinx my flow. I guess I have still been a bit busy with work and trying to find the ever elusive balance to life. Whenever I think that I’ve done it, like a see-saw, the balance is quickly lost…

  • Call it midlife crisis or call it whatever you like, but I have been trying to find purpose (again) these days. When one chooses not to have children, it becomes more difficult at a certain age to define what life is all about. As someone who has spent most of her life trying to be comfortable in her own skin and only recently feeling that is completed, I am now wondering what do…

  • Last weekend we took an overnight road trip to Gifu Prefecture. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I have wanted to visit here for some time. It’s not along the typical tourist path, so I never quite made it before. Thanks to some usual, but unexpected traffic getting out of Tokyo, we had a late arrival on Saturday, but we explored the nearby town, Hida-Takayama, which is popular for wooden pieces and it’s…

  • Six years ago I went to an Internations event to avoid being lonely and sad at home after breaking up with my five-year boyfriend during the winter holidays. Just a week or so before that I had gone on a private retreat to reset my sights on attracting a partner who would be all I needed him to be – right down to a checklist (obvi!). 😛 Although I had not planned on…

  • It may sound weak and pathetic, but just over two weeks after returning from winter holidays, I am just finally starting to feel like myself again. It seems that my tolerance for being busy, social, and the like has greatly decreased so that it is taking me longer to recoup. For the past couple of weeks, I have been having to force myself into the real world again. My introverted voice reminds me…

  • There is a Japanese art form called kintsugi or kintsukuroi, which is used to repair broken pottery using a metal (gold or silver generally) to repair the broken item. When we fall in love or start a new relationship, whether friendly or romantic, we look at the connection as perfect and untouched. Like we do with decorative plates, we try the best we can to protect the original purity of the shape, quality,…

  • I wonder if it is a blessing or a curse that the world has become more open to reflection, self-awareness, and mental health. It’s interesting to listen to younger people dismiss the current talk of mental health in the same way that the older generations ignored it. At the root is the common belief that we can fix ourselves or that it’s something for others – who are weak; who are lacking in…

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