Half a decade later…

 

Since I’ve been hyper focused on our business, I  haven’t had much time for personal projects; however, it’s that time of year again, and, despite nearly forgetting, I couldn’t ignore this one.

4th year in a row doing this. 1st time two of the portraits are in the same city. I think that’s got me feeling a bit restless. Definitely feeling older, but also feeling like things moving in the right direction. Also trying to embrace this one particular grey hair by seeing how long I can grow it before vanity compels me to pluck or dye.

It’s always a bit weird seeing people out of context. Whenever I think of my life in Japan, I think of this bunch. I think of the smell of sizzling okonomiyaki filling their home while anime blasts on the TV. I think of Taylor Swift playing on their car stereo as we drive to Eiheiji. I think of basketball games in school gymnasiums and okayu deliveries during flu season. I think of love and home and everything else that’s wonderful about existing.

Fukui Station has always been the setting of our hellos and goodbyes, so seeing them in San Francisco was a bit odd. Amazing — I never dreamed I’d meet up with them in California! — but odd nonetheless. We only had one day together, but I’d fly around the world to spend an hour with these four.

Every year around my birthday I want to take a self portrait that kind of sums up the “feel” of that year, and this year marks the third instalment of the series. It’s also my 30th birthday.

I guess thirty is supposed to be a milestone of sorts, and the past year has certainly been one of immense change. I got married. I returned to Canada after five years of living in Asia. I started a business. Respectively, these events have been amazing, incredibly hard, and exciting, but, overall, I’m just really really tired.

Since this year’s photo was taken with a sore throat and fever, I think it does a good job of summing that up.