En Pointe

I believe things happen in your life for a reason.  "From out of chaos comes order." Some credit Friedrich Nietzsche with that quote, others say that Mel Brooks wrote it for his movie Blazing Saddles.  It doesn't really matter, I'm a believer.  I mean, how do you know you don't like cauliflower if you've never tasted cauliflower?  I know I don't!  I'm sure of it because my wife made me eat it once.  That brings me to the concept of trying new things to see if they fit you personally.
I have a special someone who just doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up, so this is for her.  A mommy, a teacher, or maybe even a rocket girl.
She still has plenty of time to decide, buy my advice will always be "do what makes you happy."  Seems like an answer that really wasn't thought out deeply, but to those I love, the words are from my heart.  As I would tell my granddaughter if she asked, "Paw Paw, what should I be when I grow up?"  I would simply tell her this, "I hope you dance."

A Year Has Passed

‎1 year ago, my wife and I flew out of Tokyo, Japan after living in country for three months.  Little did we know that 2 weeks later the country would essentially be at a standstill as it coped with the great earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  A year has passed but the memory of what Japan endured and still endures is firmly planted in my mind.

For those that don't know Japan as well as I do, please allow me to introduce you.  They are a blend of old and new.  Japanese are resilient.  They are team players.  Mostly a homogenous society, they pull together and if there is a theme that drives them it would be "the greatest good for the greatest number."  This isn't only a theme for the older generation, but it's seen in the youngest of the citizens of Japan.  A quality I respect and admire.

1 year ago, and within an hour, the loss in Japan was immeasureable, incomprehensible, and horrendous.  Yet, Japan has survived, and ulltimately Japan will prosper.  I only wish this for everyone.  My prayers are with us all as neighbors on this fragile planet we call home.