Have finally reached the less than 24 hour mark in the countdown to leaving Japan. We should be taking off from Kansai International Airport in 23 hours and 30 minutes, exactly.
The weather finally cleared and today has been a beautiful spring day with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. We got up early (for us) this morning and went to visit our buddy Aldo in Takatsuki, did a few errands, ate some ramen and came back home. I am more or less fully packed and ready to go. I didn't get to spend time with all the friends I wanted to see before we left, but we will be coming back here to visit and hopefully some of our friends will come and stay with us in NH.
I don't feel sad about leaving here. I can always come back and it's not like things change here all that quickly anyway. I've thought a lot about what I would like to do differently next time when/if I live here again. First off, no more apartment living. Japanese apartments are just too small for me. If we come back, we will rent a house. Second, no more scooters. I liked that the scooter was economical and easy, but it's just too damn cold in winter to commute that way. It's dangerous too. Third, I will network more and get myself more involved in creative pursuits. I realize a lot of my time over the past 7 years were spent taking care of my daughter. When we got here she was 11 months old. Now she's turning 8 next week. It seems like the older she gets, the more I get to return to myself. It was like I went away there for a few years, didn't have the time to spend doing things that make me feel like myself. I love that child more than life itself. But for her sake as well as my own, I need to start to learn how to let go a little. Not a lot, but a little.