Saturday, September 3, 2011

Same old?

Japan has a new Prime Minister now. When a reporter pointed out that the comments released to the American press were the same as the last time a Japanese Prime Minister was assigned, the American government official issuing the comments laughed. What other response could there be, when Japan is on its sixth prime minister in five years?

Another typhoon is pounding southern and western Japan. Just stay away from rivers and mountainsides (impossible in some communities), and evacuate as instructed, and it should be OK. No big deal. It's that time of year anyway. 

I'm looking around for another place to go in the disaster area, somewhere with an emphasis on the children. And I need to get translation work done and get packing done to go back to the States. I'm so tired that it's not going smoothly, and I'm bogging down more than I'd like. Eh. Pretend it's OK and it'll go away. 

Is it really just more of the same? 

Can we really afford to shrug off the first change in government after the disaster, just because Japanese politicians historically play musical chairs a bit more often than other nations? 

Do we fail to recognize that the size of this typhoon would be devastating to the Northeast, and forget to be thankful for every moment that the monster storm stays in the Southwest? Do we write off the stories of the deceased, the missing, and the injured, just because the numbers are so small?

Do I ignore my grinding gears as just another transition, and assume I'll settle in eventually? Consider it just part of the cost of spending a summer in a disaster zone, and casually play the "oh well" martyr?

No, it's worth paying attention to what's going on, whether in politics or weather or my own heart. 

My fatigue level is much higher than I expected, and I'm not quite sure why. I'm changing travel plans to insert some resting time before fully jumping back into the old routine. 

Yeah, so I feel like a soggy kitten after a storm. Still shaking my paws as I walk. But oh what a summer it was! I so want to do it again... Nothing quite like watching Life win. 

Just let me refluff and get my purr back first. Soggy won't do. 

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