i was invited again to a private school as a guest speaker. the topic “Tohoku.” it’s later this month so i thought i’d start to prepare. so i spent 4 hours going through photos of the missions in tohoku. to tell you the truth, it was sad, happy, and just so mixed emotionally. going through the thousands of photos really was hard for me to relive again. but it also makes me much stronger as a person. sometimes i forget the simple things in life, and seeing what the people lost makes me realize what’s important, and what’s not.
i met Azumi-san for the first time right after the tsunami. it was right here in this place where his surf shop once stood. he lost it all. i still remember walking over the rubble with him listening to his chilling stories. this was 4.5 years ago.
then this was 10 days ago. i think of Azumi-san like a brother. this guy totally inspires me each time i see him. his smile lights up the room. he’s a surfer, he’s a brother, and he’s an inspiration. i think i should share this story with the school kids. tell them that if you keep positive and look forward, good things will happen. this is a perfect example of that.
the waves finally came down to out come all the beach bunnies! so happy to see everybody enjoying this beautiful day!
then on the way in, i see a familiar face. a familiar face i’ve never known until my last trip to tohoku. Ishikawa-san shared me her story how her sister told her about the boat i found on the beach. it was this girl Chizu-san that connected us and made it all happen. it’s a pleasure to finally meet you Chizu-san!
the more i do yoga, the younger i feel. i love it. namaste.
new york approved today the $15/hour minimum wage for fast food workers. i feel happy for the workers, but i feel sorry for the companies. there will be a lot of unemployment to come. stay tuned.
here are the current minimum wages as of now:
New York: $8.75/hour
Hawaii: $7.75/hour
Japan: $6.45/hour or 780 yen/hour
