Missed Opportunities

Hello…remember me? Is anyone still out there? I’m almost afraid to check the logs…

This month has been really busy for me. And on top of that, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what to do next. I feel that next year will offer a tremendous amount of change in my life. After so many years of a more or less status quo existence, I look forward to new challenges and opportunities.
More on that later.

One unfortunate side effect of my leg problems has been the fact that I have missed many opportunities to explore new areas, and especially to take pictures. Last night, at my final college class, the sunset behind Mt. Fuji painted the sky in the most amazing colors. It was like something out of an Ukiyo-E （浮世絵–Japanese woodblock）painting…

The sky was filled with brilliant shades of blue, yellow, red, and orange. It was so beautiful. I reached for my camera, but it was not in my pocket or bag. This has happened to me many times recently. Since August, walking even short distances has been a real chore, so I haven’t really had much enthusiasm for taking pictures. I took a picture with my cell phone, but it looks like it didn’t turn out.

Still, things are looking up. My leg still gets sore sometimes, but if i keep it stretched and loose, it is fine. But the habit of grabbing my camera every morning has been broken; I need to get back on the program.

Today, too, I taught at the Japan Air Force Complex in Ebisu. Ebisu is an area of Tokyo that I often pass through, but rarely visit. And since I had three hours to kill between lessons (in fact, I am writing the bulk of this text at my school while I wait for my last class today), I had plenty of opportunities to take pictures.

Unlike most of my friends and family back home, we have been enjoying very pleasant, spring-like weather in Tokyo. It gets cool at night, but the days have been fairly warm and pleasant. Many of the trees have not even changed colors yet! It seems like we usually have relatively mild weather until January, at least since I have been here.

Thinking on my time here, I can say that it is only natural that I have missed many opportunities. I am not talking only about lost pictures. For many reasons, I have not accomplished as much as I could have, or explored as much as I could have. But the good news is that it is still not too late. This can be the best time of my life–right here, right now. Missing these photo opportunities was unfortunate, but it reminded me that I need to keep focused on my goals.

Sometimes all you need to remember to follow your dreams is to forget your camera at home a few times.