We won't be returning to Kikai next year. I'd say the deciding factor was our desire to have a baby sometime soon and refusal to wait for another 18 months before having a baby. There you go.
Telling certain members of family was not easy, and reminded Aubrey of one of Aesop's fables:
The man led his donkey to market as his son walked beside him. They passed someone who said, "You don't lead a donkey! You ride him," so the man smiled and put the boy on the donkey.
Feeling good about this solution, they passed someone who said, "Look at that selfish boy. He rides while the poor old man walks." Being eager to please, they changed places.
They felt this must be the right thing to do until they passed someone who said, "Look at that mean man. He rides like a king while the poor little boy walks." Being eager to please, they both rode.
Who could object to this solution?
Soon, they passed someone who said, "That man and boy are so cruel! The poor little donkey must carry both of them!"
So they got off and tried to figure out what to do. They decided to tie the donkey's legs to a pole and carry him.
Everyone who saw them pointed and laughted. The man and boy kept walking.
The strong little donkey didn't mind the other arrangements, but he didn't like this at all! He squirmed and brayed! As they crossed a bridge, he got one leg free. He kicked the boy making him drop his end of the pole. The poor donkey slid into the river.
Moral? Try to please everyone and you please noone. So we'll be trying to please Jesus, and if other people want to come along, they are certainly welcome! But we're hopefully not coming "home" yet b/c we won't be there until we croak. Until then, it's wherever God wants us.
Looks like I'll be coming into OKC at 5 pm on 17 Feb. Anyone wanna pick me up? I promise I'll smile broadly and I might even offer you a hamburger and/or coffee on me!
I'll probably save around $300 by taking the ferry to Kagoshima and then the night bus to Osaka from there rather than flying, though that extends my travel time by about 40 hours. Time is money, you say? Indeed! Going slower is way cheaper. Traveling in Japan is expensive, to be honest. Just getting to Osaka from Kikai and back will cost me almost as much as the overseas flight. Argh.
Declining the re-up option today. Should be fun.
Hey, Long time, me no blog comment.
ReplyDeleteOk, actually i commented once or twice. But anyway, got your email and i'm sure you have a plethora of people offering to pick you up, so here's another person to choose from.
I understand the traveling expenses within Japan. Nat and I had to take a long bus ride to the airport once in Japan. We've been praying for you guys on Thurs's but probably not as enough as we should. We anxiously await your arrival.
Lemme get this right - you're gonna take a ferry, a night bus, an international flight to arrive in OKC, and hit the ground running? How old are you? It hurts me to think about it.
ReplyDeleteTroy,
ReplyDeleteNo argument here on that, but do remember a few things:
1) Disembarking from the ferry and boarding the bus are separated by 11 hours, during which I'll be hoofing it around the city.
2) Then there are 6 hours between getting off the bus and getting on the plane.
3) I have worked a night job for 2 years of the last 3 and am expert at screwing up my sleep schedule.
4) I am armed w/ many useful over-the-counter medications, including but not limited to: Benadryl, Sominex, and Dramamine. None are illegal. All are effective. ;-)