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 (10/28/25)

A bit of good news arrived today from back home in the USA. Yet it also reminded me how important it is to remain ready—to be able to leave Japan at a moment’s notice if needed. I must keep my home and affairs here in order, a suitcase packed in principle if not in fact, and make sure those around me understand that duty and care for others know no borders.

I may still need to go—perhaps soon, perhaps not for a while—but for now, I have a little space to breathe, to rest, and to gather my thoughts.

Dissection

This entry rests in the quiet balance between responsibility and reprieve—a pause in which readiness softens into reflection.

#Family (Principle of Family)

Even at a distance, family remains a living obligation. To stay prepared for the call of duty across oceans is a sign of fidelity, not anxiety—a recognition that care does not end with geography.

#Reason (Principle of Reason)

The discipline of preparation reveals a clear and reasoned mind. Readiness here isn’t fear, but foresight—a practical calm born of knowing that to keep one’s house, papers, and priorities in order is to live with intention.

#Time (Objective: Make Good and Effective Use of Time and Resources)

When the call to act may come at any moment, time itself becomes sacred. The present quiet is not wasted; it’s used to prepare, to think, to steady the hand before movement begins again.

Takeaway

The peace between duties is not emptiness but grace—a space to ready the heart for whatever comes next, to breathe deeply, and to remind oneself that preparedness is its own form of care.

#RetiringInJapan 🇯🇵 #GoingAlone 🌵 #Family #Reason #Time