An old new life

Zeniarai Benten Shrine. The prelude to cherry blossom season. 

The transition from the biting Scandinavian winter to an unexpectedly cold day in Kamakura went against my expectations and threw my way off guard. Convinced that any place other than Scandinavia must be warmer I short-sightedly shed (jettisoned, for luggage restrictions were in place) the layers of winter attire I grew accustomed to wearing and fled for a warmer climate. I made my trip to Stockholm. It is surprising what a single winter day without gloves in Sweden can do to your skin.

Before long the warmer days ameliorated my aggravated skin and I was off to Zeniarai Benten Shrine to visit an old friend and capture some shots of the place.

Long before my return to Kamakura, I wondered what dormant feelings it would stir, and honestly, I dreaded the thought of re-living some of them. This included coming back to my prior post with a company, or rather a collective, I always considered, in a way, family. What I realized, though, is that I had already moved on. Often one does not recognize that if there is no reference point. For me that point is Kamakura. 

I put Japan on a pedestal as a place where laws of nature and common sense do not apply. A place that has the capacity to remedy all. However, this illusion was soon stripped once the cold rain of March reminded me that no place has the power to fundamentally change who you are. In other words, I did not feel any warmer in Japan than I was in Sweden. 

I want to make new experiences now and leave the past behind. I want to let more people into my life and start the change from within myself not via a place. Having said that, Kamakura is a great catalyst for change. I want to lose myself within this world of potential.