Japan

Corridors that smell like tea, rural estates of green and history, and the fine art of vertical sleep; these will forever remind me of today, the first day I spent among the cities of Japan on trains that take these vast sceneries for granted.

Along with the 3 preceding weeks whose expense upon body and soul brought about and set to proper contrast the peace that could only come from a job well done--everyone's jobs well done, I'll remember these things and never forget the uncontrollable feelings of gratitude.

And haunting me too are the unexpected pangs of doubt and fear, on that very eve of embarkation. I thought tomorrow I'll finally meet this dream of mine that I've chased for too long. Too soon, I thought; too perfect, I feared.

But here I am and all I feel is this feeling of resolution. I guess I got used to dreams that live only in the few hours before daybreak, living the dream is too good to be true.

I guess life has no room for cynics, but maybe just a little bit for the magic and wonder that only fairy tales could muster--a happy ending among sleeping commuters, rice fields and the smell of green.