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Setting the Tone

This morning started a little later than planned, but that wasn't gonna to throw me off. I still managed to get up, grab Eri’s packages, drop them in the post box on the way, and sidle into my spot at the management roundtable with a hot thermos of my perfect coffee. Even brought my blue coffee mug to pour it into, which made it all the more enjoyable. The chairman, the other vice-chair (I’m the other one), and the special advisor (who was the former chairman and mostly just paces around and puffs on an electric cigarette) were already there as always because they're retired and show up to everything thirty minutes early and comment on how everyone who arrives after them is running late, so I jumped into our prep meeting. All of this by 8 a.m. I jumped out of bed at 7:25. 

For the last two years, every third Sunday of the month has started this way, except for the sleeping late part. Two years ago I agreed to help out with our neighborhood association, and today was my last meeting. I feel both relieved and a little sad. It has been an amazing experience, as crazy busy as it was. Organizing events, filing subsidy paperwork with Sendai City Hall, promoting and posting on the online chat group (to the point where Eri told me to cool it with the emojis), and my absolute favorite part... putting together the monthly neighborhood newsletter. Maybe it goes back to my love for being the editor of my high school yearbook, but I have really come to enjoy it. Even when it meant losing sleep.


While I was out, the boys had a friend over. Kenzo’s first-ever friend from kindergarten. Now they play soccer together on Saturdays, though they go to different elementary schools since we live on the edge of Sendai and his family is just over the border in Tomiya. Eri and his mom are friends too, and their house is only five minutes away by car. The boys had a blast.


When their friend left, we had udon for lunch. I was never much of a fan of udon until I married Eri, but she makes it ridiculously good. Today’s was loaded with sliced beef, a poached egg, and all kinds of other goodness. After lunch, I took a solid two-hour nap and then watched Boss Baby with the boys. I laughed way too hard. Obnoxiously hard. That's a funny movie. I can't stop laughing when I hear Alec Baldwin's voice utter the words Super Colossal Big Fat Boss Baby.

I think circumstances do not dictate how things turn out. I could have let waking up late set the tone for my morning, but instead, I leaned into it and had a great final meeting with the neighborhood association. I could have focused on how much work the last two years have been, but instead, I feel grateful for what I got to be part of. A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of the other way around.

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