I've now been in my new apartment for four months; about the same amount of time that I lived in Japan before moving to North Carolina. The difference, however, in the way that time has passed in the two places has been almost staggering. It feels like I've been in the apartment a matter of weeks, while the same amount of time in Japan felt like a lifetime (in a good way).
I can see why time in the apartment has gone by so quickly. First there's the hospital and doctor visits with their ensuing bills and health insurance trouble; not to mention a major lifestyle change that resulted. Then there's the pressure of new bills that I didn't have on top of the mountain. There's work, which while I love my co-workers and don't mind the job, always makes life pass by a little quicker than when one makes his own schedule and lives by his own demands. I took a wonderful trip to Miami for my brother's graduation which kept things moving quickly even while serving as a vacation. All these things kept one day steadily rolling into the next as time jumped from one obligation or scheduled activity to another.
There are two other major contributors that I think have played a bigger role than the aforementioned. The first is not having a washer and dryer in my living space. I still do all my laundry at the trailer on top of the mountain. As a result, I let it pile up a little more than I otherwise would, and constantly feel like I'm behind on laundry. The second is the fact that I still have the responsibility of maintaining the nearly wild piece of land the trailer sits on and I constantly feel like I'm two steps behind on that as well. For a better man these things might not be problematic, but they leave me feeling like I'm in a constant state of procrastination...not a good feeling. Nothing makes time fly like the heavy burden of unfulfilled responsibilities.
I'm not trying to paint a "woe is me" picture or gain any undeserved sympathy, as I feel incredibly blessed and have had a wonderful four months in my new place. This is simply how I make sense of how time has recently seemed to pass so quickly in one place compared to another. The interesting paradox is the fact that life itself is so much slower in Hendersonville than in Tokyo, Japan. I guess that's why I sit back now and marvel on its relativity. As I was preparing to leave Japan, a friend of mine, Wayne, told me that when I got back to the States that Japan would feel like a dream. I suppose he was right in the sense that in a dream there's a certain detachment from time and the way it passes.
Now that I've spent some time away from the trailer it's taking on a new feel. It's taken about four months of living elsewhere to get to this place. It no longer has the lingering feeling of a bitter Winter survival that was all about "getting through the season alive". When I go there now it takes me back to my first days there after returning from Japan. The feeling of a new adventure. One in which writing and mountain living would be the driving forces. It's now a wonderful nostalgia; a drug I never tire of and am more than willing to get lost in.
Although it's gone by quickly it's been a great four months. Thank you Brittany for being by my side and laying the foundation for this next chapter. You've given me fresh eyes which in turn provide a clearer view into the past. I look forward with great anticipation and a light spirit into what lies ahead.
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