These Days with the Quiet Traveler

While in Japan I noticed my usual travel mix no longer resonated the way it once did. So I made a new one and the all-star, top tune was "These Days" by Nico. The first half of the song hits home hard:

I've been out walking

I don't do too much talking

These days, these days.

These days I seem to think a lot

About the things that I forgot to do

And all the times I had the chance to.

I've stopped my rambling,

I don't do too much gambling

These days, these days.

These days I seem to think about

How all the changes came about my ways

And I wonder if I'll see another highway.

Phew. Glad that gambling problem isn't an issue anymore! Just kidding. Anyway, the song ebbs & flows in relevance to my life, but this time around, I found myself really really connecting to it... especially when I was walking the streets of Tokyo or sitting in a train, silently observing.

I've been in a strange contemplative mood lately that I can't seem to articulate. I think it comes from the realization that I have 3 weeks left in Asia. I went from having the long endless stretch of 7 months to a trifling 3 weeks. When I summarize how I've changed & all the moments & (sooooo many) feelings, it feels like a timeless whirlwind. Then, when I break it down by country, months, flights & sketchbooks, I realize I've been here for a very very long time. I had a lot of fears going into the move to Asia, mostly about missing out on life back in the US, and now, I'm just so happy I've made it. I have my last voyage of SE Asia exploration to Singapore where I'll be with friends & family, then two weeks in the Philippines, which will *hopefully* be enjoyed with the person I've missed the most.