Major accomplishments lately are mostly social and domestic

Making gingerbread cookies with Anders and Auggie

Framing Robert's small pencil drawing of a ship sailing by

Repotting a plant to a larger size

Mailing movie star paper dolls to little Miki in Japan

Congratulations to Nobu and Yu Takatsu, for the birth of their baby boy on 12 12 

Tuning into the Food Network channel as soothing kitchen meditation in the background

Going to San Francisco on a rainy night, for Keiko-san's holiday party--meeting Megumi-san and Yasu-san again

Preparing a big pot of green chili pork and hominy tonight for JJ, Seychelles, and Will (celebrating college graduation and 50th birthdate--while JJ is here from  Tokyo)

Looking forward to a nice busy week before Christmas.  Deep gratitude for my many blessings. 

It's been awhile since I've blogged.

I returned from Japan 5 days ago, and feel back to normal.

I just wrote and posted my monthly column, so I'm looking forward to staying warm and reading before bedtime.  I'm reading Sword and Blossom a book about an English military man who fell in love with a Japanese woman in the early 1900's, when he was posted there to learn the language.  It's a fascinating look at two people who were separated during most of their long relationship.

I interrupted this book to read The Science of Leonardo, by Fritjof Capra, which I bought on Wed night when Robert and I attended a book party to introduce the book.  I love it, so I wrote about it for this month's column!

I finished Mel Lavine's book, A Strange Breed of Folks while in Japan.  

I don't know what I would do without books---and yoga--and my family--and the Internet--and my house.  I am grateful for so many things.

Since I was in Japan on Thanksgiving, we're going to have another Thanksgiving tomorrow here at my house.  Gunther will make a rotisserie turkey; I already made the dressing, and put flowers and candles on the table with a fresh table cloth (the terra cotta-colored sari cloth that Zenobia brought back from India in October.)

Zenobia, Tyler, Robert, Roy Iwaki, and of course Gunther, Eliza, and Auggie and Anders will come.  I got some new books from the library yesterday to  read to the kids.

It's getting cold, and I'm turning heaters on in various rooms where I'm working for awhile.

I've somehow been too busy to blog. The past few weeks have been busy with

• writing
• coaching
• playing with grandkids
• weeding the garden
• cooking
• a high school reunion
• halloween pumpkin carving and scare-crow making
• visit with Trevor and Choe and making crafts

Yesterday Robert and I drove up to Yountville to hear our friend Dianne Aigaki speak at the Napa Valley Museum.  She gave an inspiring talk about her work with Tibetans, those who live in exile in India and those who live in Tibet.  She first went to to Tibet with the idea to paint Tibetan wildflowers, and took a course on botanical illustration.  She wanted to take pictures back to India to show her Tibetan friends the flowers of their homeland.

The project, of course, grew into something much larger.  I wish you could have been there to hear her tell about how she was able to show family photos of those who escaped Tibet to those who have not seen their loved ones for years--and vice versa.  Living in a Tibetan village, not only allowed her to paint and document dozens of species of plants, but inspired her to think of ways to support the villagers with much needed education and medical services for the elderly (almost non-existent.)

To this end, Dianne is offering two trips next year in June and July for people who want to accompany her to the Tibetan plains to paint wildflowers, or to just explore and experience life there.  I can only imagine this to be a trip of a lifetime.  As some of you know, I went with Dianne in 1999 to Dharmasala with a group and we met many Buddhist nuns and teachers, a high lama, as well as the nephew of Ghandi in a casual dinner in New Delhi!  Dianne has an uncanny knack for following her passion and opening the way to direct action.   Dianne is also interested in exapanding her speaking engagements, and is particularly interested in speaking at graduations, where she hopes to motive young people to follow their dreams.  If you know of a school who might be looking for speakers, please contact Dianne at

Dianneaigaki@yahoo.com

If you are interested in her trip to Tibet,and want to know the details, please email her directly.  It might be a good idea to put TIBETAN TRIP 2008 in the subject line so she can easily see it. 

I'll be seeing Dianne later this week, so will update you on anything new!

I just returned yesterday from the trip to Seattle. We had three wonderful classes with great people--How to Increase Synchronicity, Getting Past Fear to Make Changes, and Intro to Passion and Life Purpose.  When I asked for a few people to share what points they got out of the classes, they said

"When you have a fear about something, try to come up with a tangible goal or first step to deal with that fear."  For example, one woman had a fear that she wouldn't be able to express her desire to write.  In this case, she decided she had to mark in her calendar one hour (or less) a week when she would sit at her computer and write, no matter what.  If she couldn't make it, then she had to reschedule that time again by writing it down in her calendar."

We all have big "fears" about becoming a bag lady or never fulfilling our potential.  Those fears--when left alone in our head to cycle over and over again-- are not empowering. What gives us what we actually want is the power to move forward--which we can only do by taking action--for example, committing to putting away a portion of our earnings in a savings account, or beginning to buy a reputable mutual fund for our retirement.  So many times we fear that we are not brilliant enough to success.  Brilliance or having a special talent are not the only requirements, or even guarantees of success.  A more reliable key to success is consistent action in the direction you want to go.

Another comment by a participant was about our exercise where I asked peple to rate the segment of their life they were happiest with right now--such as career, income, savings, physical fitness, relationships, etc.  Then I had them write down 3-4 factors which they thought contributed to the success in that area.  Next, I asked them to identify one area of life that they wanted to improve, and to list specifically, how they could use their success factors from the other area to this less-satisfactory area.  Some people got a big insight about how they can work to improve something--specifically.  

Success factors tend to be

consistent involvement

networking

keeping in touch with people

researching

moving out of your comfort zone when necessary

doing things you love to do

Thank you to all those I met in Seattle--

And big KUDOS  to the Seattle Art Museum!!  They have some stunning exhibits (I loved the seven white cars suspended from the ceiling and spiraling through a simulated crash--complete with flashing nerves of light. 

I was beside myself with joy when I viewed a case of several exquistely thin and clear, slightly greenish handblown vases and bowls by a glass blower names Julius Alexander.

In addition to the bowls and vases, there is an big  glass "hairpin" about six or seven inches long decorated with a glass ball.   As I read the description, I began to realize I was looking at pieces of perfectly intact glass from  the third century A.D.!!   The glass hairpin was a  gift from Julius Alexander to his wife.  He died before her, so she placed the glass hairpin by the side of his head in his tomb.   This exhibit is one of the best things that I have ever seen in my life--especially, knowing that this couple loved each other, and that their love is still being expressed by this hairpin 1700 years later!

One last thought from the weekend.  My friend, Gary McAvoy and I watched the DVD,  Letters from Iwo Jima.  It is always hard to watch the scenes of war, but near the end of this  movie, I was flooded by the idea that love and compassion are the only things that matter in life.  When the letters flowed down at the end, I was moved to tears.  Clint Eastwood is in those ranks of great masters in other art forms,  in being able to paint a canvas that moves us to remember and strive to express the best of humanity. Acts of kindness and expressions of love-- such as the letters from the soldiers and the centuries-old hairpin--are what make life bearable and worthwhile. 

I harvested the two pepper plants--red chilis, very hot.

It's been a lovely summer.  Anders already started kindergarten last week, and I visited the clean, new classroom.  I am so grateful for the new school, only 2 blocks away.

Auggie starts pre-school tomorrow.  Eliza feels a little sad--a new era as the kids grow up.

Down in Studio City, Chloe starts kindergarten, and Trevor first grade--both at the same school not too far from where they live.   

One of my Japanese books on numerology comes out this month, another next month.  In the meantime, I have another personal year book to write for one of the Japanese publishers.  I never get tired of this subject!

I am just finishing up the brilliant book, On Beauty, by Zadie Smith.  I read her first novel, White Teeth a few years ago and loved it.  This one is even better.  After reading my favorite author, Margaret Drabble's latest novel, Sea Lady, I think Zadie Smith is another young Margaret Drabble--both brilliant observers of character and subtle commentators on life.  They both make me see everyday life in a more conscious way, urging me to reflect on how I would choose the words to describe something I am seeing.  On my walks, I've started listening to Elmore Leonard's book on tape--Be Cool.  Now I want to see the movie!

I've been feeling so restless.  I need to expand.