Look Out Below!

Today marks “One month to go” before we begin our journey to Japan. I wish I could say that we are ready, but that’s not the case. We are waiting for Kiley’s lab results and my left eye is questionable. The shipper is trying to get us the best deal, but I’m worried that he still has not decided if we ship by ocean or air. Right now, it looks like air. I have a huge “To do” list in order to get the house ready for renting. I’ve never been a landlord before. I’ve heard of all kinds of nightmarish stories. Living 5000 miles away doesn’t help matters. We hope that our property manager can do a good job for us. This wasn’t in our original plans. We had hoped that we could have sold and used those funds to remodel our home in Tsukahara. Those plans will have to remain on hold until the economy improves or I win the lottery. Both scenarios are long shots. Realistically, we will have to live in a warehouse condition for a long time. Nakatsu will be a place for business and Tsukahara will be a place to work (on the house). I don’t think we will be bored anytime soon.

The economies around the world are looking dismal. Japan has fallen to number 3, behind China and the U.S. I’m not sure what that means in the future except that the yen is not going in the direction we had hoped. Purchasing a car in Japan is painfully expensive for us. Actually, purchasing anything in Japan using American dollars is expensive. I guess our timing couldn’t have been worse, but…at least we are moving forward towards a change. I think of change as jumping off a cliff…a very high and steep cliff. Our backs are against the wall and I really don’t want to look down. Who knows what will happen when we hit bottom. The motivation to jump is driven by many factors with one of them being regret. I can’t turn back now. If I did, I would regret that decision for the rest of my life. To force a dramatic change in life requires a lot of energy, stamina, perseverance, and courage. I’ve never experienced anything like this, so I don’t have something I can compare it to. Erika has helped give me the courage to face this change, but it’s up to me to make the jump. My first foot off the cliff occurs when I leave my career of 20 years. I start falling when the plane takes off from Seattle. Look out below!!!!! This will be a heck of a ride.