After returning to work and sharing chocolates from my trip, I casually remarked on how cold Japan felt. That small comment opened the door to a realization—not only about the weather, but about the work quietly waiting for me.
As I was handing out chocolates from my trip at work, I remarked that Japan felt cold.
Apparently, the cold had intensified over the past few days.
It felt colder than I remembered.
Rather than comparing it to New York, I had the distinct impression that this winter was colder than last year.
For me, the personal threshold for cold is three degrees Celsius.
Once it drops below that, the cold sinks deep into my body.
Some might say that this is nothing to complain about, but I have always been sensitive to the cold, and there is little I can do about it.
Last year, I don’t recall many days like this, but yesterday and today the temperature hovered around two degrees.
The only small consolation is that sunrise seems to be coming a little earlier each day.
Yesterday, I felt somewhat drowsy during the day, but thanks to the efforts of my colleagues while I was away, I managed to get through it.
Then I started sorting through my emails—and realized just how much work had piled up.
None of it was new.
These were tasks I had optimistically assumed I could finish during the twenty hours spent on round-trip flights. In reality, I spent most of that time watching movies, and I lacked the concentration to do anything productive.
What became clear was that the workload demanded far more than I had anticipated.
Some items are already pressing up against their deadlines, and there is no choice but to tackle them now.
It feels like starting on winter vacation homework after the new term has already begun.
Complaining won’t change anything.
All I can do is press on.
