Toward the within...

Among my earliest memories are the many times my mother refused to turn back. Whether she had just walked out the front door and remembered something she left behind, or she had driven beyond her...

https://diedreblake.com/2023/08/06/studying-japanese-again/

Lately, I have been thinking that I have lived a life of focused extended long term travel. Now, long term travel usually means grabbing your largest and sturdiest backpack and taking the plunge ...

https://diedreblake.com/2023/04/08/choosing-what-to-keep/

It’s another grey winter day and another coffee shop. This time, I am spending time in Flat White Coffee Factory, enjoying a cappuccino and doing a little knitting. Overall, this moment feels l...

https://diedreblake.com/2023/02/23/life-its-a-marathon-not-a-sprint/

Eleven years ago, in 2011, I began this blog to document a new phase of the journey of my life. To be honest, the new phase started in 2008 when I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In 2010, ...

https://diedreblake.com/2022/12/24/why-i-changed-my-life-%E3%80%80fibromyalgia/

Photo by Ian Lai on Unsplash And so I break my silence. It’s been more than a year since I posted. In the interim, I have been on a new journey in Japan. I moved to a new city, am trying new th...

https://diedreblake.com/2022/12/21/with-what-time/

雨が降ていました。 風に紅葉が吹きました。 私の声が静かになりました。 私を寒さや静かさが流れてきた。 It was raining. The wind blew the autumn leaves...

https://diedreblake.com/2021/11/09/life-in-japan-autumn-poetry-japanese-english/

Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan. I cried today. It’s my way of coping with difficult situations, especially those in which I have limited freedom to speak my thoughts. Surely, we can say whatever w...

https://diedreblake.com/2021/11/05/life-in-japan-its-okay-to-cry-really/

Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan. It’s been a long day, and I’d like nothing better than to go to bed. However, I want to spend a little time discussing a topic that has been on my mind: envy. The...

https://diedreblake.com/2021/11/04/life-in-japan-envy-other-uncomfortable-emotions/

Somewhere, Tokyo. For some time now, I’ve been decoding and rewriting my mental programming script. It’s been a slow and challenging process, but an exciting and rewarding experience. Today r...

https://diedreblake.com/2021/11/03/life-in-japan-day-trip-to-tokyo-mental-programming/

Scale? Check. Tape measure? Check. I’ve got some basic tools for body assessment. Oh, I forgot…I have a full length mirror, too. Check. My eyes, armed with a pair of glasses, seem ready for t...

https://diedreblake.com/2021/11/02/fibromyalgia-its-impact-on-body-image-how-to-improve-yours/