Category: Gratitude (Page 4 of 8)

Cities

I’ve always said that I am a city girl, although most of my life has been lived in suburbia. For the last eleven years I have been a true city girl…

London

 

Singapore

Tokyo

I have loved living in these cities. Rick and I spend many of our Saturdays out exploring and love walking, taking the train, subway or buses to get around. In cities as large as these we have barely seen anything. I am grateful for the time I have had to live in these cities and I really think I’m going to miss it.

 

My Hairdresser- Fabio :)

I am always searching for a great hairdresser. The last 11 years have been interesting. I had some scary haircuts in London until I found Manuel’s on Blenheim Terrace. Carlos colored and Manuel cut. Carlos was brilliant! Singapore was interesting…my hairdresser would come out look at my hair and then go back in the office while his “girls” did the work. My first hairdresser in Tokyo liked giving me orange highlights and when my hair turned a greenish color I stopped going there. My next Tokyo hairdresser turned my whole head an orangish color. Finally, I found the salon I go to now.

I started going to the owner until last year when he was forbidden by the authorities to touch anyone’s hair. I did not know he wasn’t licensed in Japan. At first I was sympathetic and then I was just mad because I needed to find a new hairdresser. I decided to try a Japanese guy, Fabio, who was working in the same salon. It turns out that I like him better than the owner. I am grateful for someone who is great at cutting hair and it’s not orange or green either.

Earthquakes

Japan has more earthquakes per year than any other place in the world, anyway that’s what I have heard. They have long been my most feared natural disaster. We lived on the gulf coast for many years and I became a tropical storm, tornado and hurricane watcher. The thing that is different about earthquakes is the inability to predict them in enough time to give warning.

This week I have been pondering why I should be grateful for them. Right after the Great Tohoku earthquake (that is how it is referred to here in Japan) on March 11, 2011, my friend Toshi expressed his gratitude for the earthquake. His home suffered considerable damage and they were without water, gas and electricity for a long time. Toshi said he was glad for the trial run so that he can be better prepared for when the “Big One” hits Tokyo.

I am grateful that I was here on March 11, 2011. I learned where I am weak and where I am strong. I am grateful I got to experience my reaction and also how others react. It became a fight or flight situation when we found out about Fukushima. I learned to rely on on the Spirit and learned that he doesn’t always tell everyone the same thing. What was right for us was not right for everyone.

Earthquakes show me my vulnerability and reinforce the fact that we cannot control everything. They also teach me to have faith and move forward without fear. So I am grateful for what they teach me.

 

Spring

Since yesterday was the first day of spring here in Japan, it only made sense that it was a gorgeous, spring like, day here in Tokyo. Early today I was still cold on my bike ride, but when we went out around noon it had warmed up a bit, the sun was shining and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. We started with lunch at our favorite tonkatsu place. Next we took the train to Kasairinkankoen. It’s also known as Tokyo Sea Life Park. We walked around for awhile.

Space Mountain

View of Tokyo Disney

 

I am grateful for wonderful Saturdays.

Setsubun

Today is the first day of spring in Japan. The celebration is called Setsubun. The famous ritual of the celebration is called mamemaki. People throw soybeans out the door or at a person dressed like the devil while shouting, “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (demons out, good luck in).  Rick was invited to Kofu to participate in the celebration there. He came home with several gifts. I am grateful to be able to experience the unique culture here in Japan.

Setsubun beans

Change

I am grateful for change. It keeps me on my toes and recently it has helped me get ready to move on. Many things changed in Tokyo after the earthquake on March 11. The changes were not something that can be seen as much as felt. There are a couple that I can see.

From the first night we moved into our apartment I loved being able to look out the window and see the Angel Moroni on the temple just down the street. Then after the earthquake when electricity needed to conserved the Angel was dark each night. Not long ago the lights began staying on at night. Then just last week I noticed that the entire steeple and Angel are surrounded by scaffolding. I assume that work is being done to stabilize Moroni. He changed directions during the quake. I assumed I had more time to take photos of the temple and Moroni. I may have missed my opportunity because it appears that the work is going to take awhile.

The grocery store that I have shopped at during the last 5 1/2+ years closed at the end of October.  I’ve decided that throughout my life I have always been grocery store loyal. Wherever I live I choose a store and always shop there…Randall’s, Sainsbury’s at the O2 Center, Jelita Cold Storage, National Azabu. It was in an older building and needs to be rebuilt to current standards. I’ll be long gone before it re-opens. My life has changed because the store I go to now is in the opposite direction.

These are minor changes that help me prepare for bigger ones.

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