Perspectives

This sweet little bee just worked itself into my shot while I was trying to take it. But I liked it better with bee there so I thought I'd post this today!


Also, this is actually a  long overdue post that I've wanted to do as an answer to Dimitri's Perspective post. He asked us what we were doing 1, 5, 10 years ago and where we see ourselves in the next 1, 5, 10 years.

I  am not the most goal oriented person around but I thought even a go-with-the-flow girl sometimes needs to take the time to reflect and plan. But since you know I really don't write very well, I'm using snapshots. What better way for you to get the picture?

So here it goes...

[10 years ago (2001)]

Just out of high school, fresh as can be. I'd gone to high school in a very rural area of Hiroshima and my university was smack in the middle of one of the biggest cities in Tokyo. Everything was new and exciting. Also, college for me was an oasis...after almost 5 years of constantly challenging my brain to relearn my native language after coming back from growing up in the US, I was able to relax into my English literature classes and really learn. And it was wonderful. 

[5 years ago (2006)]

Just changed jobs for the first time. For me, it was one of the biggest steps I'd ever taken. I've always been stuck between the need for change and the need for stability...and usually stability wins. But sometimes even I surprise myself by randomly making a change. This was one of them. And the minute I started working at my new company, I knew I had made the right choice. They made me feel that I was needed there and I learned that that is one of the biggest motivations for me.

[1 year ago (2010)]

At this point, I'd been living on my own for a few years in Tokorozawa. In between work, I had joined the CityDailyPhoto community and was taking pictures left and right, and also rushing back and forth to my hula lessons, which I'd been taking for about five years. Summer is the peak season for hula performances and that led to even more lessons and practices. It was a challenge to keep up with, both physically and mentally, but it was also a really wonderful thing to find something I could be passionate about. For me, it was sharing snapshots and hula.

    

[Today (2011)]

Today I am living in Shinjuku. The commute to work was getting a little ridiculous so I moved a little closer. And although I'm taking a little hiatus from hula, it has given me a chance to spend more time with family and friends, and I'm still loving sharing my new city with everyone. There are so many places to see and so many people to meet. I really love living in this city.

[1 year in the future (2012)]

Hmmm...I even have a hard time figuring out where I'll be a year from now. But by this time, I'm hoping to have gotten back to my hula again. Maybe take a few photography classes, too. I've always wanted to. Also hoping to have a more flexible work schedule so I can go visit family more often.

[5 years in the future (2016)]

If I ever were to change jobs, it would probably be around this time. I guess I also wouldn't mind settling down a bit and getting married. But, of course, that really isn't up to me so I can only keep my fingers crossed. (And maybe you all can keep your fingers crossed for me, too. hehe.)

[10 years in the future (2021)]

This is just too far ahead for me. 2021 sounds like a title of a futuristic movie and by that time I could be a nun in the mountains of Scotland or a barista at a Starbucks in Shinjuku. But where ever I am, I hope that I am happy and safe. That's really all I can ask for!

So there you have it...my attempt to put things in perspective. Thanks for reading this long long looong post. The 14th was actually my birthday and I thought there was no time like the present for a post like this. It's made me realize that I'm ready to embrace what ever life has install for me!

So...how about you?

*I will hopefully be back to regular postings by the end of the week. So very sorry I haven't been by to comment :(