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In the Moment

I fell asleep in the living room watching TV last night, but I was pleased because at least I made myself sit down and watch TV. 

I was in meetings with my boss and with overseas managers all morning, straight through until 1 PM. Eri made another delicious lunch and then I went for a good long walk. It was a perfectly beautiful spring Sendai day. I had that feeling that I could just keep walking and walking for hours on end. 

I’m developing a better relationship with my boss. Before he became the department head we had our disagreements about things over the years and he’s been openly displeased with my views on many of our company and department issues, as well as my lack of basic understanding about how business works. Even just a few months ago when I announced in a manager meeting that making sales isn't the goal, it's the result, oh man he called me right after and asked me what I knew about sales and was pretty annoyed with me.

I stand by my statement though. As an unashamed idealist, I truly believe that the goal of our business is making the world better with our product, and if we adhere to our values and effectively carry out our mission, then the result will be revenue.

I feel a great sense of satisfaction in knowing that through my strategy of engaging with him through humble inquiry, we are arriving at a place of mutual respect and effective communication. Yesterday when I talked with him and I brought up my health issues related to anxiety and the medication I have to take for that and the obsessive compulsive disorder he was very sympathetic. When we talk about business-related issues these days, I get the feeling that he doesn't look down on me like he used to. 

Maybe he never did, but it felt like it. 

I'm sure I remain a constant headache for him with my non-Japanese ways and my unfettered idealism and my attempts at humor during manager meetings.


Kenzo’s obsession with catching lizards is manifesting itself through his recent artwork.


Osamu likes to spend these warm spring afternoons while Kenzo is at Friends Club out in the garden sitting on the grass and playing with water and his toy cars. He likes to announce that when Kenzo is away he is free to play with all of Kenzo‘s toys as well.


I love dinner time. Not just because I’m really hungry, but because even though the boys are in that stage where it’s difficult to get them to concentrate on finishing their dinner, I am making sure to treasure every second. I know that before too long they’re going to get busy with school and their friends and there will be more and more days when we don’t all have dinner together. 


Live in the moment. Past and future don’t exist. Most of the time that’s easier said than done. I see it as a process.

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