Thursday, September 10, 2015

Pieces of me

Life is not a one way exchange.  We do not only receive, we also leave pieces of ourselves in the places we inhabit.

I returned to my old house in Osaka this weekend for a party with Otose and my flat mates.  It was a wonderful evening of music, food, and friendship.  There were physical pieces I had left behind – spices used for the food, an umbrella “borrowed” from my previous school on a day I forgot mine still hanging outside the front door, dishes and other things left behind in the move.  But there were also intangible pieces, memories and emotions, I had left with the people I shared my life and space with for several months. 

We don’t often get a chance to really see how much of ourselves we have left with others.  Perhaps it is the cultural difference.  Or maybe my sense for these things is heightened due to the special nature of this adventure.  Whatever the reason, spending an evening with these wonderful women made me realize the give and take of life – the pieces of ourselves we exchange with each experience.  And although I still feel I came out ahead in the bargain, I was glad to see how much they cherished these pieces of me.

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