A volunteer’s journal When I moved back to Japan in 2017, one thing that excited me was a chance to volunteer for the Olympics. While that journey was delayed by a year, the opportunity to be part of one of the world’s biggest events is now becoming a reality. The…

There is more to a good online meeting than just showing up prepared We now have more virtual meetings than face-to-face ones. I am sure there are some who are more comfortable with virtual meetings than in person meetings. However, many of us miss the intimacy of being in the…

Greetings from the road less traveled Hello, I’m John Cunningham. It took me a long time to be comfortable saying that. I used to just think of my name being a formal label that others could use to identify me. Nowadays, I consider it a description of who I am…

The problem with indecision — The other day I was taking a break and standing out on my balcony when I noticed some kids playing soccer at the daycare below my apartment. The Blue Hats had just scored a goal, and the White Hats were about to restart. However, the kid with the ball was…

Don’t let excuses get in the way — Last Saturday, I was waiting for the bus to take me to my English class, and I was suddenly overcome with deep sadness. Nothing had really changed in my life over the last few days. In fact, just the day before, I had been filled with glee. I just completed…

What do they really think — I recently came across some fabulous content about women’s perception of the outside world. While I don’t want to stereotype or batch all women into small buckets, the stuff I’ve seen this week gave me a broader perspective on a woman’s point of view. That seems to be universal. The…

It has been a while since I’ve put on my editor’s hat and published stories for the ILLUMINATION publications. Today I chose one of our publications, ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR, and invested my time in clearing the queue of stories there. …

Being rich is often associated with having an abundance of money. In Japanese, it is also an expression that means you are able to play the last card in your hand. At the end of their days, someone may say they have had a rich life, irrespective of the fortune…

My side hustle has been mildly successful this year. The extra income has paid for some outstanding meals and allowed me to invest in a coach, Japanese, and music lessons. But it does not bring in enough cash to pay all the bills. Nor do I expect it to in…