This'll Just Take a Minute

I think that more often than not we never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. Before I even had a chance to stretch into the day I fell prey to yet another morning ambush. The window was open, letting in that crisp new spring air, and before I knew it two little boys in pajamas came flying at me, shouting, “TACKLE TIME!” If I ever needed a reminder that time marches forward, that nothing stays still, well there it was. I held my ground for a few rounds, actually just curling up into a fetal position, before declaring myself a survivor and getting up to take on some spring tasks. First order of business: tire changing. My biannual ritual. Swapping out the winter tires for the regular ones. It's a task I’ve gotten pretty handy at over the years. This time, I clocked myself: 26 minutes for all four tires. Not bad considering I’m using that flimsy jack that came with the car. Those things weren’t made for this job. But then again, neither am I. By next winter’s swap, ...

Saturday mornings belong to soccer. Kenzo and Osamu love it, and they’re both getting so good. Kenzo, especially, is coming into his own. Less hesitant, more willing to get into the thick of things. He’s still careful, but the fear of getting hurt is fading, little by little. It’s wonderful to see his confidence grow. After soccer, we headed straight for the coast, stopping at a supermarket to grab some lunch. The boys know the routine... eat first, then play. That seaside park has become one of our favorite spots, a place where time slows down just enough to feel it. It's also super windy all the time so it's a great spot for flying kites. But the main event today was a trial horseback riding lesson. Osamu was all in from the start. He never seems to hesitate with new things, just jumps right in, full of excitement. Kenzo, on the other hand, was nervous. He gave it a shot, but in the end, decided that horseback riding wasn’t for him. Not today, at least. I get it. Horses are b...

This guy is a freshly minted kindergarten graduate and his elementary school entrance ceremony isn't until April 8th, so he is living it up. Somehow he sweet-talked mama into putting money into a Hello Kitty popcorn machine when they were out shopping this morning.

Since today was a national holiday, of course there was a neighborhood association luncheon.  I gave a short speech about how we need to reform the neighborhood association so people actually want to participate. However, after prefacing it with the fact that I am passing on my vice-chair and administration duties after two years of service everyone kinda laughed. The best part was that there was tons of Akita-style pork and vegetable stew left over, so they gave it to me and I walked home with this huge pot of hot soup and after Eri helped herself to a bowl she set about distributing it into various bowls and gave some to our neighbors. Then soccer at the park of course. We played for an hour and went home and had three o'clock snack time and then Osamu begged to go back out and ride his bike. Eri took him out and they ended up at another nearby park.

Osamu graduated from kindergarten today. He was so excited and more than ready. For two years, he has enviously watched Kenzo go off to elementary school, and now it is finally going to be his turn. The kindergarten they went to is something special. It feels like a world of its own. It’s a little sanctuary with a barn, animals, massive slides built into a forest, and classrooms bursting with color and life. Every floor has a real fireplace, and when those log fires burn, the whole place fills with this warm, cozy aroma that makes you want to curl up and nap. This morning, it was even snowing, which made the fireplaces feel a thousand times more magical. The graduation ceremony was beautiful. Osamu’s teachers, Kokoro-sensei and Miss Allie, got teary-eyed during the final class meeting. A bunch of parents, myself included, reached for those tissues too. All the Japanese teachers wore stunning kimonos, adding to the sense of occasion. Osamu and all the kids adore the principal. He’s a fa...

Of all the kinds of weather, I really don’t like wind. Cold, biting wind, the kind that cuts through your coat and somehow finds its way into your bones, is the worst. I’m a summer person. I like the kind of sultry heat that makes the air feel thick, the kind where you keep a sweat towel draped around your neck all day. I’ll take that over shivering any time. Lately, though, it’s been nothing but wind and sleet and the kind of cold that makes me question all my life choices. But then this evening, the wind finally settled. The sky put on a show... deep oranges melting into soft purple, and for a moment, everything felt peaceful.  The kind of peace that sneaks up on you, that you don’t realize you needed until it’s there. Man it was good. This morning was Osamu’s last time riding the kindergarten bus.  Tomorrow is graduation, and we’ll be driving instead. The whole bus stop crew showed up early, cameras out, exchanging farewell greetings and chatting like always. One boy is mov...

Kenzo was home today... kinda sorta sick. His temperature hovered between 37 and 37.5°C, which is one of those annoying in-between fevers where you can’t really say if someone’s sick or not, but they’re definitely not quite right. He mostly lay on the sofa all day, which made me kinda sad because he’s usually a whirlwind of energy. Seeing him so still felt... off. At some point late in the morning, I decided to make a second 500ml round of coffee. Maybe it was the extra caffeine, or maybe it was just one of those Mondays (and it was), but before lunchtime my body decided... "hey remember panic attacks? Let’s do one of those." Shaking, dizzy, breathing all weird, like I was trapped inside my own skin, which we all are of course but when you feel it then things get bizarre.  It’s been a year and a half since I had one this bad, and I do not miss them. There was a six-month period a few years back where panic/anxiety attacks were a daily thing, which is why I finally decided to ...