Meeting Asai-san after 22 years for lunch

I’m still enjoying Japan to the fullest! 4 days to go until we’re home again. Switzerland seems soooo incredibly far away. Like “is it even real that we lived there?”. I’m not joking. It’s the same feeling I had when I was here for the first time in 2001. My Swiss life faded away in my head and soul and I just was HERE fully and totally. I love this feeling and I celebrate it even more because Mika seems to feel it now too! She was not amused when I booked 6 weeks because she didn’t want to be away from her friends for so long and nooow… she told me, I should have booked at least two weeks longer. : )  Anyway, that’s MY personal JOY, that my Japanese-Swiss girl is feeling her second roots!
 
So who is Asai-san?
22 years ago ( I said it again! ; )) Ken and I hung out a lot in a bar whose owner was Glen, a super fun, upbeat, wonderful American guy. One of his besties: Asai-san. We had so much fun there!

My favorite poster on the wall was of the movie “Endless summer”. Ken and I always said: We’d wish this summer would be endless as we didn't know how it'll turn out with us two...We even engraved this into our 50 bucks silver rings we exchanged. (Endless summer going strong since then, I looove it!)
When I found a note a few years back with the name of Glen’s Japanese wife I was so thrilled because that meant that I could possibly find her again somewhere on social media. It really helps to have a unique name : ).

We reconnected and I got in touch with Glen again too. I love social media for that. Staying in contact is easy, saying hello every once in a while aaand that’s why Glen realized that I’m in Japan and he told his bestie Asai-san about it and I’ve got the pic below of him, still using the little miniature Swiss army knife as a keyholder…after aaaall these years!

Glen connected us and tataaaaa, last week we met for lunch. How lovely to reconnect and talk for hours about the past, life now and the future. He is 25 years older than me and I love to think of myself as a 70 year old lady. In fact, Mika is just taking pictures of us with her snapchat-filter on and we’ll see how accurate this image is. (See the image in the PS)

It’s a privilege to become old and older. Our time here is so precious and friendships to me are the most valuable thing I am blessed to experience. New friendships, old friendships and even the ones who were on pause for 22 years.

Asai-san reached out some years back to me via email but I deleted that address because it was just a vast amount of spam-only coming in there. I knew that I’ll cut off the ones who only have that information about me…this was before cellphones and social media…so I’m even happier that it worked out to see eachother.

Are you a “keeping the connections alive”-kind of person? Or are you like Ken: If this person is not in my daily life or close family, I don’t see the point?
 
I think it’s an art to find the mix of letting go and keeping in touch and it’s sooooo important to create/keep friendships which are uplifting, supporting, nourishing and bringing JOY to YOU. Not out of obligation or expectations.
 
This lunch date after not seeing or hearing each other after 22 years will be one of my many many favorite memories of this Japan-trip!

I take nothing for granted and feel very blessed and I’m so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life.
 
Maybe you reach out today to somebody you haven’t heard from in a long time? Who came to your mind immediately? I think that's a siiiiign and good things come from this reconnection (if you want to, of course)...

Let’s make this world more colorful, playful and joyful!

Sending you lot’s of looove from Takatsuki (next week it’ll be Zurich and embrace my normal day life with a big smile)

PS: We’ll see how this will go. My goal is to become a over 100 years old mighty, fit, healthy woman full of energy, ideas and creativity.

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