Like A Good River, Life Takes You To Interesting Places. There's Usually Curves And Sometimes Flooding,

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.

Anthony J. D'Angelo

This is how I feel every Friday!

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.

Gandhi

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

- Epictetus

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

- Robert Frost

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Herm Albright

Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts.

Madame de Stael

I feel like this is such an important and yet rarely discussed social problem in Japan. As someone now working in Japan, who was raised in a culture which actively promotes tolerance and understanding, it can be really difficult to deal with a lack of recognition that this is not just a "foreign" problem, but that it happens in Japan on a daily basis. Change is slow in Japan, but issues like this need to be made a priority for Japan to become a better functioning member of the global community and just a better country. It's sad that despite its reputation for politeness and innovation, Japan has fallen far behind in certain social issues such as this one. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. 残念なことなのに人種差別は実際に日本にあると思います。日本で1年間留学した時もこの最近の2年間日本で働いている間にも、人種差別の件がよく気づいてしまいました。外国で育てきた私にはそれを見ると辛い気持ちがします。もちろん、母国はかんぺきではありません。国々の全部と同じように、自分の国の問題はたくさんあります。ですけど、この問題がどこにもあると言っても何もしなくてはいいとは限らないと思います。どこにもある問題だからこそ、自分の国でも日本でも、人種差別をなくすように働くべきです。 「日本には変更が遅い」とよく聞きます。でも、日本が世界の中では進むために、人種差別をなくすように優先しましょう。日本は礼節で有名なのに他の分野はまだまだでしょう。｢見えないからない」と言っている人がいるかもしれないが、そのわけではありません。

日本で働くこと、住むことが本当に大好きです。でも、眼下にある問題を無視しません。人間に愛情を込めて自分の人生の中に人種差別を気づいてなおしましょう！心からお願いします。

If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.

Jimmy Buffet