Friday, December 07, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
My last post
I have been in Japan for two years. I have done things I never thought I was capable of doing. I have met people I never dreamt of being able to talk to two years ago. A world has been opened for me. But it has become normal. Futsu. I am used to life here. This will be the last post I will make on this blog.
Even after 2 years, sometimes it suddenly occurs to me that I am in Japan. I will be doing something completely normal, like doing laundry, cycling to work, or looking at Mount Fuji from my room. Things I do every week. Things of which I forget the value sometimes. Sometimes there is this sudden moment of realization. That I am actually a world away from where I was born. That none of the people around me speak my language. That people don't normally eat with knife and fork here. Things I take for granted now. Things that have become normal, but should never loose their special value. There is a great value in everyday life, and as it becomes normal people ten to forget this.
Being happy with what you have, or actively being unhappy and looking for new things. Many people do neither. They just don't care. Ninety percent of the time I am one of these people. The other ten percent of the time I spend either finding the value in my current situation or exploring possible futures.
Some things just take time. Rhetoric I hear from old people. So sad that it's true. Sometimes things do start to make sense after a year, when you can't seem to grasp the picture right now. Some tasks that I set upon myself were very difficult, but when I think about doing the same thing again right now, at this very moment, I would do it right. I would not make a mistake. In many cases, failure is a requirement for success, and I did always have to learn the hard way to truly understand things.
As a stoic Dutchman, the only way I can look at my life is as a gambler. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Maybe I didn't maximize my profit, but the end result is not bad. Not bad at all. Maybe it's time to invest in something new.
My new blog is here. It's bigger :)
Even after 2 years, sometimes it suddenly occurs to me that I am in Japan. I will be doing something completely normal, like doing laundry, cycling to work, or looking at Mount Fuji from my room. Things I do every week. Things of which I forget the value sometimes. Sometimes there is this sudden moment of realization. That I am actually a world away from where I was born. That none of the people around me speak my language. That people don't normally eat with knife and fork here. Things I take for granted now. Things that have become normal, but should never loose their special value. There is a great value in everyday life, and as it becomes normal people ten to forget this.
Being happy with what you have, or actively being unhappy and looking for new things. Many people do neither. They just don't care. Ninety percent of the time I am one of these people. The other ten percent of the time I spend either finding the value in my current situation or exploring possible futures.
Some things just take time. Rhetoric I hear from old people. So sad that it's true. Sometimes things do start to make sense after a year, when you can't seem to grasp the picture right now. Some tasks that I set upon myself were very difficult, but when I think about doing the same thing again right now, at this very moment, I would do it right. I would not make a mistake. In many cases, failure is a requirement for success, and I did always have to learn the hard way to truly understand things.
As a stoic Dutchman, the only way I can look at my life is as a gambler. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Maybe I didn't maximize my profit, but the end result is not bad. Not bad at all. Maybe it's time to invest in something new.
My new blog is here. It's bigger :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)