This week was all about crawling back into real life. I had spent the past couple of months pretty much shut away from the world and immobilized due to a broken leg.
I got to return the crutches I had used, swapped them for a cane and now decided I am going to try and walk as much unaided as I possibly can.
My doctor and physiotherapist advised me not to cycle, but they did so on the eve of the long year-end, new year holiday when dealing with any accident or incident is tough for medical professionals. I discovered cycling not only offered greater mobility, it was easier on my legs, too, so ignored the medical advice and have gotten on the bike daily since the start of the year.
Having said that, after two months off the bike–my longest absence from the saddle in 15 years–my leg muscles have atrophied. Combined with the dark and cold of midwinter and the ever-spreading deterioration that aging gifts me with, my cycling prowess has declined significantly. I am exerting all the power I can draw on, but achieving average speeds almost 10 kmh slower than what I had been accustomed to. It’s another reason why group riding is becoming increasingly unlikely again. Let’s see.
It was a delight to return to the office. I really enjoy my colleagues’ companionship and love my job. It’s still a huge thrill to soak in the atmosphere of the office and its surrounds. The commute was as onerous as ever. It may, perhaps, have been even worse as I limped onto the train with the aid of a cane and stood for an hour in the packed train while the fit and healthy youngsters on the priority seating in front of me pretended not to notice. It took all my patience to remind myself that my sanctimonious outrage was perhaps a little hypocritical considering I have done similarly in the past. Being back at the office inspired my goal for the year: get better at my job in every way possible.
Fortunately, I got to stay a little grounded by remembering that I had a sobriety anniversary this week. I felt very lucky to have been given the gift of sobriety. I have no idea why it happened, nor how I got to keep it so far. I have seen people with far greater attributes than mine, and incomparably disciplined, yet been unable to get the gift. That realization helps remind me to stay grounded, even though I have been turned off by the now largely scripture-based recovery community in Tokyo. I retain links, however, because it is that spiritual disconnection that leads to relapse, based on what I have seen over the past 15 years.
Speaking of spiritual connections, I got to read some blogs that I love this week. First, there was Derek, a conservative American with a religious background. Those three traits alone are enough to inspire hatred in me. But Derek is such a wonderful person with a sublime look on life he reminds me of the importance of being fair and open-minded. I enjoy his existence very much, and am lucky to share parts of it, albeit in a very distant way. Then there was Works Of Genius. I don’t know who she is and have never met her, but I remember her starting her blog in the pandemic, and it inspired me. I stumbled across her latest post this week, and was moved once again! [EDIT: I wrote earlier that Works of Genius did not respond when I reached out, but that wasn’t the case. I’m very sorry about that! And thanks for continued inspiration!] Perhaps the most fortunate stumbling I did, though, was to belatedly find Graham Thomas, who wrote a wonderful piece back in 2002 about how the famous Glico running man in Osaka’s Dotonbori bears a resemblance to Elon Musk. That introduced me to Thomas’ beautifully written, thoroughly compelling blog, and I have been caught there for most nights this week.
