Quote of the Day

My "coach" (colleague who is sort of a mentor at work and in Japan) gave me some advice today. We were discussing the changes this year and my upcoming graduate schools plans (and general goals/doubts/thoughts/observations from life), when suddenly Coach turns to me, her voice takes on a more serious tone, and she says:

"Brenda, I am going to tell you something. Nothing you ever do is worthless. You can learn from everything."

You might think it sounds cliche, but there is more behind it. This woman has been teaching for about 20 years and, although we do differ on some issues (she can be very strict with both coworkers and students), I really enjoy talking with her because she's one of "those strong Japanese women." I know I can learn a lot from her and I respect her. Anyways, there was something about the sincereity and clarity in her voice (めｔちゃ げんしゅくね) that struck me and made me literally just take a step back.

In context, she was basically saying she believes in me and the direction I am going in, but she also had a point that there is so much out there in this wonderous world... it's hard to lose out if you just keep going. Those be wise words, folks.