Anywhere is better than nowhere.

I didn’t expect it would take me so long to write again. 

And not just about Japan, but about anything.

The margins of my sketchbook at work are filled little thoughts, and the Notes app on my phone is a graveyard of ideas, and yet this blog has sat dormant since before I left Kyushu. It’s been on my mind for the better part of a year to save myself time to write, to process. But life, as it does, kept charging forward, and I with it. I can be so good at moving sometimes that I forget to leave myself reasons to look back, to dive into those memories, and later it often leaves me feeling like I’ve left something behind. 

I spent 2020 New Years in Philadelphia with two of my best friends, one whom I had flown in to (successfully) surprise with my presence. I booked my trip with no plan other than to be with some of the people who mean the most to me and I was not disappointed. I have often claimed that “if you’re with the right people, you can have fun anywhere, even a landfill!” And while Philly is far from that, my trip there confirmed for me the undeniable power that is time spent with the people you love. We spent most of the evening sitting around, all dolled up, sipping whiskey, writing our resolutions, and line dancing to Smooth by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana (yes, you read that correctly, and yes we queued it up again at midnight.) It was literal perfection. 

One of my resolutions was to make writing a priority again, specifically on this blog, to keep myself honest about that intention.

But habits are hard to break and I’m still working on how to carve out time for every idea that pops into my head. It feels fitting then, that despite my best efforts, this still took me two months to write.

But, anywhere is better than nowhere. So this post exists as (1) a start, and (2) a reason to show off how absolutely silly and charming Philly is. 

You can find a few pics (including the city’s notorious New Years Day Mummer’s Parade) below. Enjoy - I’ll be back soon.  ✌🏻