The Adventures of Nagzilla

I was hesitant to start this blog because I wasn't sure how much I would be able to continue it after my intial entries. The first purpose of this blog was to relay insights and ongoing adventures from our recent trip to Japan, which just happened to coincide with the catastrophic 9.0 earthquake that occured on March 11, 2011.

A lot of these stories were previously shared on my facebook page. But (believe it or not) not everyone is on facebook, and some folks who wanted to hear my tales either aren't on it or aren't my "friends" so they didn't have access to them. I have also had an opportunity to expand on some of the knowledge about places visited and customs observed, as well as having the luxury of reflecting on the experience through the 20/20 lens of distance and hindsight. So while some of these stories may be familiar, they have been enhanced for your reading pleasure.

So initially I figured this writing exercise would have a rather short shelf life. I was trying to determine what else I could possibly share that would live up to the life-changing and validating experience that was our Japan trip. As you can see from the title of the blog, I discovered that I did, indeed, have more that could be shared.

When reflecting on our experience in Japan, it was repeatedly brought home to me that we were not just witnesses to history, we lived it. It was one little thing that made my ordinary life extraordinary. By the sheer timing of our trip, we became a part of something much, much bigger than ourselves. But as I continued to examine my life, I realized that I've had many adventures that have lifted my life to the extraordinary.

I used to want to be famous, like a rock star or a movie star, because their lives seemed so much bigger, better, and more glamorous than mine. I wanted to have the life less ordinary. I have discovered that I do. And I think we all do, if we have a chance to look at it from a different perspective. That's the nature of this blog.

The initial entries will detail our adventures in Japan; before, during, and after the events of March 11. But once the recounting of the adventure is done, the blog will not end. On the contrary, it will be just the beginning.