End of HPAC (Year Two)

Today's concert was the final bow for HPAC this year.  It was a goodbye to sharing the stage with several friends and a dress rehearsal for a year from now.  As they leave, I step into the shoes of a third-year member and prepare for a year of transition, of being in one place and looking forward to another, of being the most senior of all the core members at HPAC. As with the entire time I've been in Japan, there will be unique challenges to this coming year.  What have I learned from those that have come before me?  What have I learned from watching others go through this transition?  I have seen people look at the future with uncertainty and bravery.  I've seen the many ways that people come to interact in a world to which there will be no future commitment.  I've seen the difficulty in maintaining the trust and perseverance to build bridges with others.  I've seen people overcome that difficulty.  

I think this year will be an opportunity to reflect on why I'm here, what is important about it, what there is to learn, and what there is to give.  In what kind of world do I wish to live, what kind of living do I wish to cultivate, and what am I able to do?