Saturday, November 19, 2005

Don't count me out

Just checked out my previous post with sleep-refreshed eyes. I was up till 3 in the morning working on that first entry. I was so engrossed I didn't notice the passage of time. I hope it didn't sound too maudlin.
Physically, I feel just fine. And mentally, I can hold it together most of the time. I don't think I'm in the end-game, so to speak, insofar as this illness is concerned, and my doctors haven't led me to believe that I am (though they're concerned about my string of setbacks).
Anyway, life goes on, and I with it.
Now, I'm planning a return visit to Japan next September, my first since September 2004. Japan has four main islands, and I'm in the process of walking a Buddhist pilgrimage that goes around the perimeter of the smallest of the four, Shikoku.
The island is a little smaller (and infinitely prettier) than New Jersey. The walk is around 800 miles and visits 88 temples. I've been to 30 of the temples (a journey begun in 1997; see my Web site, www.sliceofjapan.com) and have walked a little less than half the distance. Next year, I'd like to finish it.

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