Phonathon

I used to spend a lot of time talking on the telephone, but that was a long time ago, probably before I moved to Japan for the first time and had to pay outrageous rates. Oddly enough, I spent three hours on the phone today for three separate phone calls.
The first one came in at 8:30 this morning and was my friend Ivan calling from Tokyo. I've known Ivan for about 20 years. We first met in Japanese class in Boulder. We used to study for tests together. Actually. I'd study with him in return for him cooking for me. As it turns out, he did end up becoming a chef. The man knows his food. I spoil his fun by not caring that the Red Sox suck and get pounded by the Yankees. We burned up a quick hour, even though as soon as I heard his voice the first thing I said to him was "you're not really calling me at 8:30 on a Sunday morning are you?" Didn't phase him in the least.
Later in the afternoon my girl wanted to find out if her cousin wanted to come over and play tennis with her at the school, which necessitated a call to my sister. My nephew couldn't come over to play, but thanks to the wonders of wireless technology I spent an hour on the phone with sis while she ran around doing her farm chores and feeding some people's cat.
After that I thought about calling my mom, but was sort of phoned out so I thought I'd save that for another day. Well, mom had different ideas because she called in later in the afternoon and that was another hour on the line. She said several things I really liked, as she often does these days. One was that it's really okay to let other people know when you're going through rough times and that by letting them know, you're giving them the opportunity to show their best sides. I don't recall that being her motto when I was growing up. I think we were all in more of a "hide your problems" mode of operation. Asking people for help is one of the hardest things to do. Offering help is easy. I never mind helping out when I can. Now I'm finally learning how to let people know when I'm struggling and could use a hand.
Part of it feels like I'm still in the process of re-acculturating. In Japan, if you have a problem, you put a lid on it (kusai mono ni futa). I'm not Japanese but I lived there for so many years that a lot of those modes of being became my own. At times I feel like I am waking up from a very long and strange dream.