Thanks, T, for this story. I enjoyed reading it. I have Japanese heritage too and identify with a similar sense of how I should live my life. Then of course life went pear-shaped over and over again. And now, I no longer have goals or the kind of discipline I thought I believed in. But I do have a minimal level of self-esteem and integrity (hopefully) that goes in parallel with my let’s-see-how-things-go attitude and stay a steady course and pace. Continuation, consistency, and carefree (not carelessness) are my 3 Cs.