If one is lucky to get to their middle-aged years reasonably whole and healthy, a number of Thanksgiving holidays have been duly observed along the way. In this respect, my life has not been different from most others in this category. As on previous holidays, I am thankful for being born into a family that was a perfect fit for me, who helped identify the outlines of the path I was to travel in life and gave me the foundation to begin the journey.
Dapper Yankee tourist Yaz Yambe (above) poses in front of long-time London entrepreneur. Photo copyright 2007 by Mizu Sugimura.
Playmates, neighbors, teachers, classmates, people I've met while in connection the world of work, as a young adult volunteer in organizations in Seattle's Asian-American community, my fellow South Sound artist compatriots, those met while a middle-aged citizen volunteer in the City of Federal Way, my fellow bloggers and readers on this website and a handful of friends I made a long time ago in the Star Trek fan universe, continue to inspire me along the road.
Finally, there are two very special men in my life for whom daily thanks should always be extended. The first one is my very beloved son. The second one is my husband of thirty-years and friend for thirty-five, Yaz Yambe. And by the way, he took on this moniker years before it became part of a pharmaceutical campaign.
Navigating an unfamiliar neighborhood in Amsterdam with his wife, Yaz Yambe (above) consults his trusty map while dismissing the thought the couple could possibly be lost. Photo copyright 2007 by M. Sugimura
The first time I met him was back in high school. He was staying with an acquaintance of time as a foreign exchange student. He was all of sixteen. His biggest ambition in those days was going back home to Japan and becoming a major league baseball star. His best point was a good sense of humor. When I was twenty-two he proposed marriage, mentioning among others the advantage of paying in-state tuition.
We didn't plan a fancy honeymoon. He mentioned something about going up to Victoria, B.C. But after we got married, he discovered a technicality, so we dropped Victoria. We ended up spending a day as a couple at the Olympic Rainforest and then went on a second day trip to Dry Falls in Eastern Washington as a foursome with Yaz's Japanese friend and his Japanese girlfriend. I used to joke that honeymoon was an omen about the recent marriage. Two extreme climates!
We don't have any secrets to share about how we managed to celebrate thirty years of married life. I had bone fractures after the birth of my first baby. My in-laws were with us under the same roof for thirteen years. I've struggled with depression and ADHD. And we've had as many ups and downs as everyone else. There are days I can't believe we are still married. But I can't imagine what life would have been like, particularly nowdays, if he were not along on the same ride.
This spring he made all the arrangements and took me on my first trip to the European continent. It was a dream come true! We flew to London, took a train to Paris and flew back to the United States from Amsterdam. He billed as "the honeymoon he would have given me thirty years ago if he knew then what he knows now!"
Above: Yaz pauses between a movement while practicing Tai Chi in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Photo copyright 2007 by M. Sugimura.
It's more than fitting to dedicate a special portion of this Thanksgiving holiday to be especially mindful of the thanks due to a wonderful human being, my traveling buddy, long suffering spouse, partner and oh-so very good friend, who made the spin I'm still riding throughout the calendars which have flipped-by since the seventies when we were teens such a truly memorable and fulfilling one!
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