I'm trying!

Wow, how time flies. Some people say that time flies because it takes so long to finish a task that could be completed earlier, in a shorter amount of time. Chalk it up to age? 

You will be amazed at how many programs you can find on TV, in Japan, about health. We only have 4 channels. Since we rarely watch TV, we don’t bother spending an extra $30 to get more channels. Anyway, every time I turn it on, I encounter at least one health commercial or program. That makes me feel old. I told that to our physician and he laughed. He agreed that Japanese have too much information.

 

I have a few Japanese friends in our small neighborhood. All of them are very health conscious. George always brags about how well I can cook. I’m embarrassed because I know how much my friends care about food. They cook very well. I have tried to learn from them. George kindly makes excuses for me by saying that I don’t take the time to prep for cooking because I’m busy. That’s all BS. I have made concentrated juice from vegetables, fruit wine, jam, pickles, and herb tea. I will be as good as my neighbors, one day. I’m learning more about cooking than ever before. They showed me how to use some “weeds”…as George says…for medicine and food.

 

A few people have asked me how I have been doing since I don’t write much about myself on the blog. I will answer the question, simply… “I am not unhappy, so I am probably happy.” I asked a bank teller a couple of years ago if she was happy. She gave me the same answer.

 

I left a lot of good stuff in the U.S. and I miss it. However, I never miss George’s complaints about how unhappy he was in the U.S. He knows what makes him happy and what doesn’t. I still don’t know for sure. I know what I don’t like or want. As for what I want, I don’t have anything that I want more than my dogs’ and George’s smile (yes, my dogs smile if you are wondering). One thing that I can tell you, my dogs are a couple of the luckiest dogs in the world. I sacrifice my money and time for them. They are more important than anyone or anything. I arrange my work schedule for them and George…the dogs come first, though. If I can’t do that, I will choose to spend time with them over money.

 

George says that I shouldn’t take anymore new students. Instead, I should spend more time in our yard to weed or work around the house (George: I never said that). Honestly, I don’t have much time to think to myself, if I’m happy or not. I walk the dogs 1.5 hours twice a day, clean the house, weed, cut firewood, cook, prep for classes, contact and socialize with a lot of people and teach. I used to have a sleeping problem, but now I fall asleep right away. I’m exhausted.

 

One thing I have found that relaxes me are the local hot springs. I teach in Yufuin on Fridays. After classes, I take a hot bath which costs only 2 bucks. The natural bath relaxes me and I can go straight to bed after only 7 minutes of driving. It’s a luxurious time for me, isn’t it? If I became a billionaire, I could be happy here, but otherwise, I don’t think too much about happiness. I appreciate that we can feed ourselves, we have our health, and we are surrounded by nature.    Erika