The Love Bug

Well, I'm 53 now.  I tried to find an image that would represent how I feel turning the calendar into another year.  Herbie the Love Bug (from my birth era) seemed perfect.  This birthday really made me feel loved, and I feel love in return.  Like Herbie, I am part of a great adventure, mostly comedy, backed by a good soundtrack.  There have been occasional breakdowns and plot twists but (hopefully) I'll finish with an inspiring ending.  Herbie taught me that life is a race, but you can have a lot of fun and laughs along the way.

This year has sure had plenty of challenges for me, like any good adventure.  Some highlights include:

• Selling my Las Vegas house - now I have no physical assets in the US
• First-time travel to some exotic destinations including Prague and Madrid
• A well-deserved family vacation to Pranburi, Pak Nam Pran in Thailand
• First time to be published in a book...thanks to John Ng for including me in "Lead the New Asia"
• Passing my third-degree black belt test in Kali Majapahit in South Carolina
• First time as a political activist (marching against family separation in US)
• First visit to Toronto/greater Ontario to see prospective universities for George (hard to imagine he will wish me happy birthday next year via Skype)

Our Kali Majapahit Group in Japan continues to grow and thrive. Nothing makes me happier than introducing this amazing art to new people.  I hope it will be what they are looking for, and open their eyes to new possibilities for physical, mental and spiritual health.  I will continue to do my best.

I have become increasingly more open about my childhood journey into foster care, my struggle with ADHD and overcoming the feelings of inferiority and anger.  I hid this part of me for more than 30 years due to shame, but now I embrace it as a means to share the importance of mental health and to try to help others who may have had similar experiences.  Compassion and empathy pave the way to understanding, acceptance and growth for all of us.

Politically I grow more and more distant form the US every day.  We have been going down a dark path and the current construct has eroded our system of checks and balances, allowing corruption to run rampant and fueling white supremacy and hatred across the country.  Selfishness and isolation seem to be the new normal. I keep hoping that we will come together again as Americans and stand for more ethical and moral choices in how we treat ourselves and each other.  I keep hoping we will keep our place as a relevant global leader helping point the world toward the future.  Somehow, it's just not happening and I see my country sinking deeper and deeper, falling behind our peers... we are relinquishing our place as a beacon for freedom and leaving the future to...China and Russia.  More than ever, I think about giving up my US passport in favor of Japanese nationality.  I don't want to give up on my country and what it stands for ("One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all...") but I just can't see light at the end of this dark tunnel.  It's not just Trump.  It's what he unleashes in the hearts of everyone else - the darkest elements of our natures manifest in a policy of lies and hatred.  The difference was starkly reinforced when I visited Canada a few weeks ago.  As my son quipped, "Canada is what America would be like if it worked." Ouch.

Professionally, I have learned a tremendous amount in the past two years at Microsoft Japan as a customer success manager.  Advising customers on how to succeed their digital transformations using Dynamics 365 across sales, service and marketing has challenged me to re-think my views on innovation and corporate culture.  I hope I can use these new skills to help more customers get more value from these investments.  I have renewed interest in design thinking, especially as a discipline for personal change, and intend to focus on this for the coming few years.  I'm grateful to Microsoft for this opportunity and for being brave enough to challenge the status quo - even internally.  GROWTH MINDSET.

Lastly, on my birthday with so many messages from so many people around the world in the various circles I touch, I am humbled and grateful.  Everyone is so busy every day and the idea that they would think of me, even for a split second, and wish me well makes me truly happy.  In the end, we all want to be part of something, to belong, to...MATTER.  We want to make our way through this human experience believing that we made a difference and that the world is better for us having been in it.  The greatest gift I received was from all of you who have made me feel special and important.  I treasure this feeling.  THANK YOU.