About These Posts

Each day I add a new journal entry to my social media feeds. Here, I take that day’s entry and expand it through the lens of my Good Life Creed, which you can read about in my book Going Alone (available for free on this website). These dissections aim to connect ordinary reflections with the enduring objectives and principles of the Creed.

Journal Entry (10/26/25)

“The possibility of returning to America soon is something I hadn’t imagined when I came home to Japan. Yet I think I’m ready now, should that call come. The work of establishing our new life here in Japan is complete—the house found and bought, the renovations finished, the dogs and Yumiko safely settled into their routines.

If I must go, I can do so without much worry for what I leave behind. Yumiko will manage things here with her usual steadiness and quiet strength. That knowledge frees me to give my full attention to whatever responsibilities might await me across the ocean.

I’m as ready as I can be, I think—though this isn’t quite the story I thought I was writing when I came home.”

Dissection

This reflection sits at the quiet crossroads between closure and continuation—when a chapter nears its end, but the story carries on.

#Well (The Principle of Life Will Not Go Well)

Life doesn’t follow the script we imagined. Acceptance, not resistance, is what steadies us when new turns appear on the road.

#Path (The Path of Wildness)

The Path of Wildness isn’t about destiny or calling—it’s about movement when stillness has turned stale. When reason points one way but uncertainty clouds the view, we step forward anyway—trusting that a thoughtful risk is better than paralysis. Forward motion, even imperfectly chosen, is the pulse of a life still being lived.

#Bullseye (The Principle of Bullseye Aim)

Hitting the mark is rare, and that’s fine—it isn’t the point. What matters is the steady act of aiming: of trying, adjusting, and trying again. Each near miss teaches, each closer shot refines the skill. The practice itself becomes the reward, and sometimes, almost by grace, the arrow lands true.

Takeaway

Readiness itself is a kind of peace. When life changes course, it’s enough to know that your house, your heart, and your intentions are in order—and that wherever you go next, the path will still be yours.

#RetiringInJapan 🇯🇵 #GoingAlone 🌵 #Well #Path #Bullseye