My Pace

In the mountains of Hokkaido, Goro Obata traded city rules for freedom, backcountry skiing, fly fishing—and a café that sometimes closes on sunny days. Watch his story of choosing lifestyle over convention, and discover what “Higashikawa style” really means.

I can identify with Obata quite a bit here. I don’t know if I’m to the point of fully abandoning the city yet. Although, my father did this when he left his city dwelling for a 10-acre plot of land in the countryside of southern Alabama. That’s something usually reserved for retirement for those who live in the States, something I’m at least a decade or so from.

In the meantime, my goal is to see how I can live more at my own pace when I’m not caught up in the “rat race” of my work life. Mind you, if I have a commitment to meet up with someone and we agree to meet at 5 p.m., then that’s when you’ll see me there. I’m often the first to events.

Otherwise, things will happen on my time, especially on my days off. I’m no longer one to sacrifice sleep or my general well-being for someone. If cutting my night short means I get to bed at a decent hour, then I’m for that. I’ll schedule my walks or mealtimes over meeting the requests of others. I’ll almost always eat first before I call you after I get off work. Besides, tired me is one thing, tired and hungry me is another, and you shouldn’t want to deal with the latter.

Even today, I’m going at my own beat. I reached out to a friend earlier, heard nothing back, and quickly decided I wasn’t waiting on them. I’m controlling my own happiness today, and I can only assume they’re doing the same. Sometimes that means we all get our solitude. I savor those times when I get them. I feel like that’s a signal from the universe that it’s what we need. Instead of being in someone else’s space, I’m sitting by the window of a café with instrumentals in my headphones and dealing with the creative energy that flows more easily when I’m not exhausted. I’m where I’m supposed to be right now. My next day off is Thanksgiving, so I’m taking it as a sign I’m supposed to do next to nothing otherwise.

Going at your own pace isn’t meant to be selfish, though sometimes we need to be. It’s more about doing what makes you happy, both in the short and long term.