On June 2, 2003, I caught a cold. But, since I was in Japan and didn:t1 have the immunological resources to deal with small bugs, it felt huge. I wrote on my blog at the time:
[…] i have what is known as the "common cold." this makes me feel really happy that my co-worker came in to work for two days in a row with her cold. at least it:s my weekend and i don:t have to worry about teaching for a full day with a sore throat. i hope it goes away by wednesday.
It was mostly debilitating for 4 days, forcing me to take 2 days off without pay.
01 • Waka dizziness my gravity, every breath a harsh teacher, at the web café. 02 • Gogyohka Trio i play cello softly behind paper-thin apartment walls embarrassed. - reverberations chase themselves escaping beyond balcony doors where laundry hangs. - neighbor listens from her balcony then knocks advising me of gratitude. 03 • Tanka thinking in silence of years I cannot retrieve where wisdom languished— flat grey sky hides behind a cloak too warm for the season
I wrote this on the 2nd sick day:
“i:m a bit low spiritually, as well. pray for my continued seeking of Him through His Word and in prayer. your prayers mean more than you know.”
It was at this point that I began eagerly awaiting my hour-round-trip commute for the uninterrupted time reading Psalms and Proverbs, rather than just spending that time in observation or rest.
04 • Senryu
starling
flies alone—
i read Psalms
The 3rd day, I wrote:
“i still haven:t been in contact with any christians here in osaka, and by contact i mean physical [proximity]. but my spiritual walk has been maintained somehow, by the grace of God and no other way.”
My entire time in Japan, I didn:t meet up with a single other Christian (or even learn where a church was). Yet, God nourished me.
“i know that people are praying for me. i don:t think it could be any more obvious. blessed are those who thirst, for their thirst shall be quenched.”
When a colon takes the place of an apostrophe in this series, it:s a reference to the : key being in the spot on a Japanese keyboard where the ‘ key would be on an English keyboard. Other keys were placed differently as well, but my writing from that time has a lot of colons.