I know that
it has been quite a while since I have updated, but May has been a
rather busy month, filled with work, a rather bad case of hay fever,
moving and turning on the utilities for our new home. We have finally
moved in though, and once a few more pieces of furniture arrive in the
mail, we’ll be fully settled in.
Life in Sakyou-ku has exceeded all of
my expectations. Our neighbors are friendly, our landlord is helpful,
the water and air are fresh... we are only about six minutes from the
Kamo river by bicycle and, if we simply continue to take our own street
eastward, we head directly into the mountains. A few nights ago, Nicky
and I took a short night walk that way, and discovered a temple which
enshrines Susanoo- one of the most important original deities of Japan,
and Princess Hinada (the Kushinada) one of his wives. This was really
surprising for me, and I plan to do a longer post on this shrine later,
but I was really excited- it feels like I’ve moved to the older area of
Kyoto, and closer to the histories that really grab my attention.
Earlier today, we went and sat by the
river to enjoy the weather- it’s such a different experience... to have
time. To have not only time, but the sense to enjoy it. We live closer
to everything we love about Kyoto now, and every day I discover a new
little pocket of our neighborhood that I want to explore.... small rice
fields where frogs croak, an old fashioned book store with cherry wood
shelves, views of the city on the mountain’s side. We also have a
grocery store, DVD rental shop and a second hand store all within a
block of our house. Everything is not only convenient, but pleasantly
distanced as well.
However, most important, perhaps, is that I finally feel like I’m living in a home...
not just a storage facility. There is space for us to relax- as I’m
typing this, Nicky is taking a nap upstairs. I can do what I like
downstairs and not disturb her, while the dog plays in the yard outside.
We’ve gotten a bunch of new furniture, including a small, fold away
table for the kitchen- this is the first time in almost a year that I’ve
been able to sit at a normal sized table while I’m on the computer. in a
few days, we’ll have a sofa and a living room table- we plan to do a
new walking tour once everything is arranged.
In short, I feel wonderful. Life feels
good right now. I have a secure job and a great boss, friendly
neighbors, I’m surrounded by nature, can bike everywhere, have a ton of
space to simply relax in and the stress of the last few months is
finally starting to ebb- I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in almost
a month last night.
I’m
just.... very thankful. And taking it all in slowly. Nicky and I
actually made it happen. We did it. We have everything that we want...
we’re in the exact place that we want to be... the exact place we
imagined. It’s a great feeling.