Getting pulled in different directions at the same time. How do I resolve this? By working day and night at my happy office, Starbucks. In my days as a politician or litigation attorney, I would have difficulty doing this. But working in business development and law, in-between my meetings, much of my work is reading, analyzing, and drafting content and transactions, thus, my mighty MacBook Pro computer can keep me mobile, productive, and connected. Why are coffee shops my happy office? (1) Positive energy from people working, studying, reading, or meeting; (2) I’m fixed to a table to work and just using the restroom takes effort, so I keep working as much as possible with fewer breaks; and (3) Beverages and food are available so I can remain working.
Walked home at 11 P.M. on March 6, 2018 after Starbucks closed. There’s a peacefulness in walking alone while listening to an educational podcast after a day’s work at a place that helps me to attain a level of peace, happiness, and productivity.
Started my early morning of February 13, 2018 with some oatmeal with banana, green tea latte, and a motivational entrpreneurial video. My goals for this week: update the business plan for our FBO company, complete 1,800 words for a total of 70,000 words for my 2nd novel, draft performance agreement and partner agreement for a concert I have a minority interest in, write the strategy for a variance request for the development of homes for a development and construction company I’m working with, craft some policies regarding land use for an agency I’m doing volunteer work for, run 4+ miles 4x, and review latest construction repairs for Jodo Shu Hawaii.
An example of nonattachment and gratitude combined. Two very powerful practices. “My love will always be attached to you, but not my selfish desires. I’m forever grateful for what I had with you. I love you.”
The Jedi religion creates killers. So does our societal system, as it provides the knowledge and skills needed for one’s selfish desire to rise to power just for the almighty feeling of having control. Like Luke Skywalker, maybe we need to detach from the current practices and instead, seek the middle within us, that calm and peaceful zone, just as the thousands of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas attempted before us. Let the old religion that develops killers die with us.
Since April 7, 2015, I’ve been working quietly on a few start-up companies and taking in business clients once in a while that need legal or government affairs services. I often joke to my friends or acquaintances who wonder what I’m up to, by telling them that I’m training quietly at a planet in the outer rim called Tatooine where Obiwan Kenobi and Luke Sywalker were in hiding, and rebuilding the way of the Jedi. On the eve of 2018, I reflect on the things I’ve done in 2017 such as spending time with my family on 83 occasions or days; being with my sister Mia and her family who lives in the Bay Area, California for 12 days, and when apart, video conferencing them 27x with my parents and sister Lara; exercising (running, lifting weights, and swimming) 144x; running 550 miles; finishing the Honolulu Marathon and Great Aloha Run; writing 68,979 words for my 2nd novel; receiving a finalized land deal just before the end of the year that I will sign on behalf of one of the companies I’m building; working on 3 other start-up projects in the preliminary stages that’s slated for launch in 2018; and traveling to Beverly Hills, California in February 2017 for work and San Mateo, California in December 2017 to share the Holiday Season with my immediate family. Excited for 2018!!!
Here, I’m pictured in San Mateo, California as I enjoy my time with my family. I wish you a happy, healthy, and succesful 2018!!!
Anything is possible when you have dragons!!! Let’s keep attacking our goals like a dragon on fire!!! Oh, and a nice lover to share the experiences with, would be a bonus. 😍
On that early evening, I waited by the small, shallow pond in the middle of the large field like we planned a year ago. It was dark. The clouds blacked out all of the stars above. Anxious, I began to pull at the tall blades of wild grass. Did she forget about me? Had she really moved on? In a bitter argument sometime after our promise, I was blocked out of her life. If she had wanted to reconcile with me, she would have contacted me. I was beyond wishing. Instead, I was living in a fantasy.
I waited for about an hour and gave up. Rather than heading back home, I kicked off my shoes, took off my socks, and rolled up my pants to just below my knees. I entered the pond, in an attempt to make the most of my trip there. The cool water felt nice, and I was mindful of the soft mud squeezing between my toes. I slowly proceeded to the middle of the pond, where at that point, I had no care of wetting my clothes. So I crouched down, placed my face in my hands, and let my emotions go. I felt my tears seeping out beneath my palms, making little drops that fell into the water. I stayed like this for some time.
Then, I heard something. There was a buzz. Then a second buzz. And then another and another. I raised my face out of my hands to see what was going on. There were hundreds of fireflies flying in the air, lighting up the pond like tiny flickering candles.
Further away, I heard a faint sound of grass moving in the darkness. Many of the fireflies flew towards the noise. And then I saw a silhouette of the curves of a woman near the other end of the pond. She took a step into the light of the fireflies. It was Kaylee. She was smiling at me in a fitted long-sleeve top and a short skirt. We stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other. My tears were now coming from joy. I grinned back at her.
“Sorry,” she broke the silence. “It took me longer than I thought.”
I looked at her high-heeled sandals and giggled with a shake of my head.
Kaylee followed my eyes and looked down at her feet. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bent over to unstrap and take off her sandals. Then, she lifted her light skirt and waded into the pond. As she walked towards me, ripples moved across the pool of water. Upon meeting me, she wrapped her arms around my waist and placed her cheek against my chest. I embraced her body in my arms.
Strangely, the fireflies reacted by moving around us like we were star actors of some kind of show. “Uh, guys, what are you doing?” I asked them.
Kaylee lifted her head from my chest and watched them fly around us. “Let them be,” she joked.
She turned her attention back to me, and gazed into my eyes. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I replied.
Still holding one another, we inched closer. I closed my eyes and felt her soft lips press against mine. My eyelids tightened firmer and quivered upon feeling a euphoric sensation that moved throughout my soul.
Life sometimes has its strange twists and turns. I was glad that we both took a chance on this one.
Hi Everyone,
I hope you enjoyed this romantic scene. To help me evoke my emotions, I listened to the songs “Sleepy Eyes” by Elohim & Whethan and “Stargazing” by Kygo ft. Justin Jesso while I was writing this, which I posted below. I found the picture shown above, of a boy and girl in a shallow pond in a field of grass at http://gde-fon.com/download/guy_girl_lake_water_night_fireflies/401727/1680×1050.
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Haiku Poem #82, 11/16/2017 –
( I dedicate this Haiku poem to my mom whose birthday is today, November 16, 2017. Since I was a little kid, my mom got me and my two younger sisters to try so many activities and experiences. Since I was a child I’ve been telling her my plans, like “Hey mom, hey mom, this the plan!!! As a middle-aged adult, I still do this, and she has the same answer, “Just try.” My mom is my greatest support. I love her so much!)
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 