The Chronicles of Ember

I rarely have “bad” days but I do have “off” days sometimes. I had one of those experiences last week.

I woke up a bit late and didn’t look at the train I was taking so I ended up late meeting for lunch with a friend, and my day wasn’t really looking the best after that as it was a very long and stressful day at the lab.

I always try my best to appreciate the little things, even when I’m not in the best mood and I’m so grateful I kept that mentality that day because it led me to the following evening which turned out to be wonderful.

When I was finally about to head home from the university, I saw an incredible little moth that I was able to identify as “amata fortunei” or a Japanese nine-spotted moth. I love seeing creatures of all sizes, and new creatures are always extra fascinating!

This next part may seem silly to a lot of people, but while heading home I not only saw a pug (my favorite dogs ever), but I got to pet it as well after the owner invited me over! I haven’t pet a pug in 9 months…and this is a big deal as I’ve had pugs my entire life and left one behind in the U.S. that I miss like crazy (she’s being taken care of by my mom). So, I was obviously very excited for this entire encounter (yay for my Japanese getting good enough to communicate)!

Out here in Japan it seems awkward (as well as unwelcome most of the time) to ask to pet people’s dogs, so I’ve never done it before that day even though I’ve seen plenty of these cuties being walked around various neighborhoods! The owners were very friendly and agreed to let me take a picture as well which I really appreciated. As an added bonus after this experience, when I rounded the corner I saw an elder-pug as well! I wasn’t able to get his picture or interact with him, but I appreciated being able to see him regardless.

And finally, when I was almost home I saw a stray cat as well! I never thought I’d be so excited for these seemingly “every-day” experiences, but animals seem to be rare sights where I live and I’m lucky to see anything besides dogs being walked, pigeons, crows, and starlings. Even bugs are a rare sight which is very unusual to me (except mosquitoes which I wish were uncommon). It’s definitely a different experience here as I’m used to seeing lizards, butterflies, birds, and other animals like deer, raccoons, armadillos, opossums, etc. quite often back in the states. As an animal lover, it’s been an uncomfortable transition for sure, but it makes the encounters all the sweeter when I do see one again!

All in all, I’m grateful for the small things in life and I’m so glad I got to see so many creatures on my way home. Off days still have beauty in them, and I always want to choose to let those experiences in no matter how I’m feeling.